SEEN THE LOTTI
I watched Carlo Ancelotti kick a BOX at Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s head… it’s the angriest I’ve ever seen him
His former right-hand man also revealed how he convinced Cristiano Ronaldo to play out of position
CARLO ANCELOTTI is known for his cool exterior and impressive tactical catalogue, but it doesn't mean he can't show his frustration when he needs to.
The Real Madrid boss' former right-hand man Paul Clement has recalled the time he remembers the Italian getting the angriest.
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Ex-PE teacher Clement became Ancelotti's unlikely second in command when the manager arrived to manage Chelsea in 2009.
And their relationship endured throughout moves to Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, before Clement forged his own path as a manager with Swansea in 2017.
Clement, 52, has seen it all with Ancelotti from lifting the Premier League with Chelsea to earning a spot in European history with Champions League success during his time in Madrid.
But it was the pair's time in Paris where he remembers seeing Ancelotti lose his temper with his PSG side under-performing in the first half against Evian.
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Clement explained how he saw Ancelotti kick a BOX at superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic's head.
He told SunSport: "There’s a line and you don’t cross it. In one game against Evian he was fuming at half-time and kicked a box and it hit Zlatan on the head! That was probably the most angry I’ve seen him.
“He has an absolute coolness about him. He looks laid-back, it doesn’t mean he’s not getting stressed inside."
Clement went on to explain that Ancelotti's ability to show his frustration when necessary but ultimately remain calm when he needs to is one of the reasons he has stayed at the top for so long.
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He added: “That’s one of his biggest skills, his ability to manage pressure and that’s given him his longevity.
"You can’t go half a game at Real Madrid without being criticised. It’s relentless. That feeds onto other people.
Watch hilarious moment Carlo Ancelotti gives fan by dugout chewing gum during Real Madrid win over Athletic Bilbao
Carlo Ancelotti's managerial career
Those numbers in full...
- Reggiana, 1995-96: P45 W17 D16 L12
- Parma, 1996-98: P87 W42 D27 L18
- Juventus, 1999-01: P114 W63 D33 L18
- AC Milan, 2001-09: P420 W238 D101 L81
- Chelsea, 2009-11: P109 W67 D20 L22
- PSG, 2011-13: P77 W49 D19 L9
- Real Madrid, 2013-15: P119 W89 D14 L16
- Bayern Munich, 2016-17: P60 W42 D9 L9
- Napoli, 2018-19: P73 W38 D19 L16
- Everton, 2019-21: P67 W31 D14 L22
- Real Madrid, 2021-24: P159 W113 D23 L23
- Trophies: Intertoto Cup (Juventus); Serie A, Italian Cup, Italian Super Cup, Champions League x2, Uefa Super Cup x2, Club World Cup (AC Milan); Premier League, FA Cup, Community Shield (Chelsea); Ligue 1 (PSG); La Liga, Spanish Cup x2, Spanish Super Cup x2, Champions League x2, Uefa Super Cup x2, Club World Cup x2 (Real Madrid); Bundesliga, German Super Cup x2 (Bayern Munich)
"When they won the Champions League two years ago and they were in dire situations against PSG, Chelsea and City, his outer calmness spread to the players and gave them belief."
Ancelotti is used to working with the stars during his time at some of Europe's biggest clubs and has even found his own way to keep them happy while ensuring they play in his preferred system.
Clement revealed how the Italian came up with a clever tactic to keep Cristiano Ronaldo happy at Real Madrid when he wanted the Portuguese star to play up front despite Ronaldo favouring a position on the wing.
He explained: "At Real Madrid, Carlo had an idea of Ronaldo as a striker so he didn’t have to track back. He had a discussion with Cristiano who said he preferred playing off the left.
“Carlo knew he had to make him comfortable, so brought in two systems for when we were attacking, 4-3-3 with Ronaldo on the left, and then 4-4-2 when defending, with Ronaldo up front."
He has plenty of stars in his current Real Madrid side too and will have to try and get the best out of them as they take on Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals tonight.
Los Blancos welcome the treble winners to Spain as they look for revenge following their 5-1 trashing during the competition's semi-finals last year.
Paul Clement's managerial record
Those numbers in full...
- Derby County, 2015-16: P33 W14 D12 L7
- Swansea, 2017: P41 W14 D5 L22
- Reading, 2018: P30 W7 D8 L15
- Cercle Brugge, 2020-21: P25 W7 D1 L17
- Chelsea (assistant), 2009-11
- Blackburn (assistant), 2011-12
- PSG (assistant), 2012-13
- Real Madrid (assistant), 2013-15
- Bayern Munich (assistant), 2016-17
- Everton (assistant), 2022-23
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