Carlo DNA has made Real winners again EXCLUSIVE
ALBERT FERRER
CARLO ANCELOTTI has turned Real Madrid into a trophy machine by changing their DNA.
That is the view of former Chelsea and Barcelona defender Albert Ferrer, who is co-host of LaLiga Tactics and analyses the key battles each week on LaLiga TV.
Ferrer says since Ancelotti arrived 12 months ago, he has made Real more pragmatic than the famous Galacticos.
The Italian coach made their defence the bedrock of a ferociously-attacking team. The result has seen Ancelotti steer them to a Champions League Final, wrestle back the Spanish title from fierce rivals Atletico Madrid and win the Spanish Super Cup.
Ferrer said: “It’s all about Real Madrid’s
DNA.
Carlo has come in and he has convinced the players not to be happy, to learn and cope with these moments where they have to defend and not be protagonists.
“Madrid know how to suffer when they are not controlling the game.
“We’ve seen it time and time again this season where players like Toni Kroos and Luka Modric are basically defending for 90 minutes.
“Ancelotti convinced the players that they cannot always dominate, cannot always be offensive and press high.
“They have to be clear in reading situations and I think they did very well this season.”
Although Ancelotti is unable to teach new tricks to a freescoring attack headed up by Karim Benzema, Ferrer credits him with transforming the defence.
The former Chelsea and Everton boss faced a potential sliding doors moment when long-standing centre-backs Sergio
Ramos and Raphael Varane both
departed within weeks of his homecoming.
Ferrer added: “When you have a team with the power of Real Madrid up front and in midfield, you know they’re going to create chance after chance, normally in most games.
“Offensively he cannot teach really many things to the kind of players he has, like Karim Benzema and Luka Modric, that normally take the right decisions.
“They have so many weapons to kill off a rival. But, defensively, the team has improved a lot.
“It wasn’t easy, two key players just left the club, and then David Alaba and Eder Militao basically were the firstchoice centre-backs.
“There were some big question marks at the beginning of the season, but the truth is that the team have defended very well.
“Because of this, the team has been solid through all the lines. We’ve seen some games where Madrid have pressed a little bit higher. They have been aggressive in the press, but most of the time it’s just basically waiting and defending pretty low.
Ferrer, 51, also believes that Ancelotti’s calm demeanour has been a barrier to him receiving the same levels of acclaim which his opposite number in Paris next weekend – Jurgen Klopp – continues to enjoy.
“It has to do with his personality also,” said Ferrer.
“He’s not going to say big things in any press conference, he’s always at the same level whatever happens.
“To be on the front page, you need to be something different but he’s not like that.
“The teams that he’s coached are completely different, so he’s very clever in adapting to the club, the players and the situations, to get the best out of them.
“Nobody is comparing him with Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp, but I don’t think he really cares to be honest.”
Albert Ferrer (below) is an expert analyst on LaLiga Tactics every week on LaLigaTV