ANCELOTTI’S
Carlo’s loving ‘ambitious project’... and he’s ready to put the years in this time
CARLO ANCELOTTI has revealed he wants to stay at Everton “for years” after admitting that he’s loving life at Goodison Park.
The famed Italian boss is approaching a year in charge next month with Everton flying in a powerful start to the season.
Apart from almost eight years at AC Milan – where he won two Serie A titles and two European Cups – Ancelotti has only stayed a couple of seasons or less at most of his other clubs including Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Napoli, despite winning trophies.
But with Everton proving to be the season’s surprise package, thriving under Ancelotti’s experienced guidance, the Italian wants his stay on Merseyside to be longer than his stints in France, Spain, Germany, Italy or at Stamford Bridge.
And he believes the different dynamic of Everton’s quest for success makes that goal more than possible.
Ancelotti said: “I think every club has its own different project, its own goal.
“If you go to Milan, Real Madrid, it’s clear that the
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Liverpool target is to win. Here at Everton, for now, the target is to be competitive in the Premier League and Europe – to reach Europe next season.
“It is a bit different. But the fact that I feel good here means I would like to stay more than two or three years that I have usually done in the past at teams where I’ve trained.
“I would like to stay a little bit more because the project is a bit different. Of course we would like to win, and I think we are going to win, but it takes time. It is going to take a little bit more time than at the other top teams that I managed.”
From the moment he sat down with Goodison’s major shareholder, Iranian businessman Farhad Moshiri, a year ago, Ancelotti knew success would not be instant and Everton’s board would be more patient than former employers Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, who are so used to winning.
Ancelotti recalled: “The starting point was at the meeting before I signed the contract here. The project we spoke about was really clear and ambitious, and so for this reason I signed.
“And I am really happy here. I like where I live and where I work.”
Despite setting the pace in the opening weeks of the campaign Ancelotti is realistic enough to know Everton are longshots to last the course until May.
He admitted that his first target is to make sure they qualify for Europe, as he heads to Newcastle without injured James Rodriguez and Seamus Coleman, as well as the suspended pair, Richarlison and Lucas Digne.
Although he’s enjoying having the time to prepare his team while top- six rivals juggle Champions and Europa League the Italian relishes the prospect of a hectic schedule.
He added: “The target for this season is really clear. It doesn’t matter that we lost one game.
“It doesn’t matter that we are at the top of the table at this moment.
“Of course, if the league finished now we would be champions, but that is not our first target. Our first target is to be playing in the European competitions next season.
“We have the possibility to train more now and prepare well physically and tactically. You can prepare the strategy.
“We have a lot of time now – but honestly I would prefer that next season we are in Europe and don’t have time to train.”