At home: Carlo Ancelotti (right) already feels a
strong bond to his Chelsea players
There is a verse they like to sing at Anfield
when Chelsea
visit. It is about history and it points out rather
impolitely how three league titles is nothing compared to a record
haul of 18 plus five European Cups.
Carlo Ancelotti knows a little about Liverpool’s
glorious past, having been on the wrong end of the fifth of those
European successes when his AC Milan team squandered a three-goal
lead and lost on penalties.
He admits that night in Istanbul in 2005 was the most painful
moment of his managerial career but he cannot agree the sentiment
behind the Kop song.
‘The past is the past,’ said Ancelotti. ‘Everyone respects the
history of Liverpool and everyone has to have respect for our
history, too. Maybe it’s a different history but everyone has to
have respect for the history of this club.’
When Roman Abramovich set about the task of luring Ancelotti
from his beloved Milan, he summoned him to an interview in Paris
and spoke about identity.
Twelve months later, when the Italian left the San Siro for
Stamford Bridge, he was under no illusions. His job would be to win
trophies, entertain and — perhaps hardest of all — make Chelsea
more likeable.
Ancelotti arrived in England saying he wanted to win the
Champions League and the Premier League and ‘maybe both’.
Let down: Carlo Ancelotti (right) was beaten by
Jose Mourinho in the Champions League, much to the anger of Roman
Abramovich
Defeat to Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan did not go down
well with Abramovich but the club’s first League and FA Cup Double
would not be a bad start and, if entertainment is all about goals,
he has done well in that department too.
As for making Chelsea more likeable, well, that may take a
little longer but Ancelotti has made a start, with his humility and
good humour. It is not his style to berate the referee or launch
verbal attacks on fellow managers.
His sense of humour is dry and he happily plays along with the
incessant comparisons to Mourinho. There is no love lost between
the pair but Ancelotti is a diplomat and knows there are no points
to be scored by criticising someone the Chelsea fans adore.
He sent Mourinho a message of congratulations after Inter Milan
had beaten Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League
semi-final.
Asked if he would sprint across the pitch in celebration as
Mourinho did at the Nou Camp on Wednesday, Ancelotti showed only
empathy.
‘When I won the Champions League I ran on the pitch,’ he said.
That was in 2003. Would he do it at Anfield, if he won on
Sunday?
‘I am not able to run any more,’ he smiled. ‘I risk injury.’
Old Lady of Italy: Carlo Ancelotti (right) endured
mixed feelings during his time at the Juventus helm
Ancelotti was such an unpopular manager at Juventus that
he sometimes required a police escort to get from his home to the
training ground. Fans called him a ‘pig’ because he was raised in
part of Italy famed for its ham.
‘Why do you keep asking about Juventus,’ he asked reporters on
Friday. ‘You want me to be nervous?’
The questions included the time his Juve team lost the Serie A
title with a defeat in a deluge at Perugia on the last day of the
season.
‘I hope there’s no rain in Liverpool,’ Ancelotti said. ‘That’s
what happened in Perugia. We have to wait 90 minutes to play the
second half. That’s too much for a team involved in a fight for the
title.’
The human touch works for him. When Lampard asked to play deeper
in midfield rather than at the top of a diamond, Ancelotti
listened, moved him back, adjusted the shape of the team and
watched the goals roll in.
He accepts Liverpool may have tired legs after two hours against
Atletico Madrid on Thursday but rejects the conspiracy theories
that the team will not try to win because they do not want to help
rivals United win the title.
‘It is not my job to play mind games,’ said Ancelotti. ‘I prefer
to stay focused with my players. I have a lot to think about. We
have to prepare for the game tactically, physically.
‘My job is to maintain a good atmosphere in the squad. We have
to be fresh and relax, though not too much. We have to believe we
are able to win at Liverpool.
‘But it is easy to motivate my players. We have 180 minutes to
the end of the season and we have to stay focused for every minute,
keep our concentration. If we do that, we can be
champions.’
