Ancelotti happy to walk on
WHEN Carlo Ancelotti returns to Liverpool this week he could be tempted to take in some familiar sea air, in preparation for the Champions League first-leg clash with Jurgen Klopp’s Reds.
The urbane 63-year-old Real Madrid boss, the most decorated manager in Champions League history – he’s won it four times – really enjoyed his 18 months on Merseyside in charge of Everton.
And he loved nothing better than walking on Crosby beach – famed for Antony Gormley’s 100 ‘Iron Men’ statues – close to his home.
Ancelotti recalled: “I would often walk on Crosby beach with my dogs. Also the area is good for cycling and walking. You can walk to Formby on the coastal path.
“There are the Gormley statues which I really liked looking at. It’s a wonderful beach.”
One thing he was not expecting, when he went for a haircut at a local barber’s, was to be confronted with a ticket from the 2005 Champions League Final.
Little did he know he had ventured into premises owned by the son of Anfield’s famed late scout Geoff Twentyman and an avid Kopite who was still awestruck by that famous night by the Bosporus.
Back then Ancelotti’s AC Milan were on the wrong end of the ‘miracle of Istanbul’ against Rafa Benitez’s Liverpool – when Milan led 3-0 at half-time, but then saw the Reds peg it back to 3-3 before winning on penalties.
Klopp and Ancelotti also both frequented the Waitrose store in Formby – but the Italian is busy shopping for another European title right now.
First he’ll want to deny Liverpool revenge for the 1-0 Champions League final defeat by Real in Paris last May – starting with Tuesday night’s first-leg trip to Anfield.
That would make a stroll along his favoured Crosby beach even more pleasant.