Davide Ancelotti talks Vinicius, Xabi Alonso and Real Madrid dressing room: ‘When there is a lot of ego…’ | OneFootball

Davide Ancelotti faithfully served as his father Carlo Ancelotti’s deputy for a long time during his time at Real Madrid, but soon moved away and began his own coaching journey.

His career then took him to Botafogo, where he oversaw 33 matches as the first-team manager and racked up fifteen wins and ten draws in that period.

Now, he is appointed as the manager of Lille in Ligue 1 and has started off the season decently with three wins, a draw and two losses in six games, averaging over 1.5 points per game.

Davide Ancelotti’s detailed interview

Davide Ancelotti was Carlo Ancelotti’s second for long. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Given his time at Real Madrid, Davide Ancelotti was asked if a soft-handed manager or a strict manager worked out better at Real Madrid, to which he said,

“With a balance between the two. It’s a dressing room like any other, with a lot of personality and a lot of ego.”

“And when there is a lot of ego, you have to make sure it doesn’t become the negative side of ego: arrogance or selfishness,” he added

Speaking on how the ego affects the internal dressing room dynamics but is also a necessary evil, he said,

“They have to keep their ego positive, because the confidence that anyone can decide a match at any moment, including their teammates, is fundamental.”

“And you can’t buy that. Those are qualities that players with hierarchy, like the ones at Madrid, possess.”

In that sense, Ancelotti elaborated that balancing out firmness with softness was vital at the club.

“You have to maintain a balance between demanding standards and closeness. You can’t only be the friendly guy. Otherwise, you don’t win. It’s impossible.”

“They say about my father that he’s a good guy. Okay, fine, but he’s also demanding. If you become only the nice guy, you can’t coach, just as you can’t coach if you become a general,” he added.

On Vinicius Jr.

Carlo Ancelotti’s son then began speaking on Vinicius Jr. and what he makes of the player’s performances so far this season.

“What can I say about Vini? He scored in two Champions League finals with us. I can only be grateful to him,” he began.

Ancelotti backed Vinicius to come good. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

He also praised the player for his attitude, mentality and willingness to train hard.

“A player whom all his teammates love isn’t loved by accident. It’s because he is generous. He never misses training. He never hides. He doesn’t deceive you.”

“He doesn’t save himself from an effort. He doesn’t tell you, ‘This hurts, so I’m not training.’ He is always there for the team.”

“The players know that, and that’s why he is so loved,” he added.

Davide Ancelotti then went on to back Vinicius and praised the player as one of the best in the business when in form.

“When he is in good form, he is incredibly disruptive. You have to understand that you have a player like him because, in terms of collective balance, he has an influence.”

“He influences it because he is a very direct, very vertical player. He has so much confidence in his ability that he always takes players on. And you need to have a structure behind him that allows you to play with him,” he added.

The Lille manager also opened up on how it is crucial to place Vinicius in a system where he can thrive.

“If you don’t have that structure, the match starts becoming chaotic. Because Vini always attacks, and he always attacks.”

“You’re not going to change Vini, but what you can change is the structure behind him. And when he is in a positive moment, Vini decides matches for you. He has done it many times at Madrid,” he added.

He also commented on how Real Madrid is trying to be a direct and vertical team and is yet failing to extract the most from Vinicius’ talent.

“You have to take advantage of the fact that you have a very vertical team and know that this will give you a lot, while also being prepared for what it takes away from you.”

“Madrid has always had players who don’t give you as much control. And the important thing is that the team doesn’t become split in two. That has always been the challenge,” he added.

On the Xabi Alonso-Vinicius controversy

Tensions were high between Vinicius and Alonso. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)

Xabi Alonso replaced Carlo Ancelotti as the manager of Real Madrid, and it was an incident with Vinicius that served as the beginning of his end at the club. Speaking on that altercation, Davide Ancelotti said,

“First of all, I felt bad for Xabi because I have a good relationship with him. It wasn’t right.”

“Vini is the first person who knows that he made a mistake, because you don’t do that out of respect for the coach, the club, your teammates and the fans.”

“But it’s already in the past. I don’t believe Madrid failed to win important titles because of that moment,” he added.

He was then asked if the saga between Vinicius and Alonso was indicative that players rule the dressing room at Real Madrid over the manager, to which he said,

“If that were the case, you wouldn’t need a coach. That doesn’t correspond with reality. Madrid’s players are extremely professional. We never had a bad response from anyone.”

“Do they not want to come off the pitch? Fine, that’s normal. Kroos did that a thousand times. Modrić has done it in his own language. Casemiro does it,” he added.

“But that doesn’t mean the players are in charge. The coach is in charge of the Madrid dressing room,” he concluded.

On the impact of Real Madrid on his career

Finally, the now Lille manager was asked how Real Madrid played a role in his professional journey.

“It has shaped my career. I arrived as a fitness coach and was an assistant for four seasons. In Madrid, with so much pressure, time stretches out.”

“It’s simply knowing that every match is the most important one. There are no secrets. You carry that level of demand with you forever,” he added

In the end, he was asked if he dreamt of returning to Madrid one day, to which he said,

“Many times. Madrid is everyone’s dream, and of course, it’s mine too.”

“Every coach who arrives at Madrid has a status that I don’t have yet, and I know I have to earn it. It’s a status that I have to build for myself by winning matches,”he added.

“We could sit here for three days talking about ideas and philosophy, but what matters is winning,” he concluded.

Source: Diario AS