After Pep, Ancelotti delights Ribery

berlin — Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery claimed on Monday that he has finally felt trusted again since Carlo Ancelotti took over as head coach from Pep Guardiola.

With Guardiola now coaching Manchester City after three years in Munich, Italian Ancelotti has taken charge of Bayern, who have won the Bundesliga title in each of the last four seasons.

Bayern flew to the US on Monday to play a friendly against AC Milan on Thursday, before further games against Inter Milan and Real Madrid.

Ribery had a professional, but cool relationship with Guardiola, which was not helped by the Frenchman’s injury-ravaged final season under the Spaniard.

The 33-year-old said he needs to feel the confidence of his coach “to play to my best”.

“Under Ancelotti, I finally feel like I’m trusted again,” Ribery told German magazine Kicker.

“He’s an awesome coach, I need people like him or (former Bayern coaches) Jupp Heynckes and Ottmar Hitzfeld.”

Alongside fellow veteran Arjen Robben, Ribery faces stiff competition for a place on Bayern’s wing from the likes of fleetfooted pair Douglas Costa and Kingsley Coman. Ancelotti tried to bring the former France international to Chelsea when he was the head coach at Stamford Bridge in 2009, and Ribery added that he now feels “free, completely motivated.” —