Ancelotti and his champion therapy

Carlo Ancelotti knows what it means to win the difficult league title in Italy as a coach (with Milan, 2004), In England (with Chelsea, 2010), in France (with PSG, 2013) and in Germany (with Bayern Munich, 2017). He only resists the Spanish League. He was close in 2013-14 and 2014-15 with Real Madrid, but in both he ended up losing. The first against Atleti del Cholo and the second against Luis Enrique’s Barcelona. Therefore, this time Carletto took it very seriously and he prepared the great game of Pizjuán conscientiously to avoid scares that would endanger the work of the entire season. His fifth league crown in the five major leagues in Europe is a challenge that is only within his reach and Ancelotti designed with his coaching staff during the days after the happy night with Chelsea the assault on the hitherto impregnable Sevilla fiefdom.

“Guys, we know that we have an important cushion of points, but if we speculate with that in Seville, we will lose. And if we lose, we will give Barça the possibility of believing that by winning their three games this week against Cádiz (the Italian would never have thought that the azulgrana could lose to the gaditanos, otherwise it would have detracted from the importance of the appointment), Real Sociedad and Rayo Vallecano can hunt us down. Let’s not give them that option. The Seville game is a final and we have to play with that mentality. If we manage to win we will have a large part of the title won and that is in your hands”. With that message, aimed at not falling into the festive relaxation in which the team did incur after the comeback with PSG (Carlo does not forget that this led to the disastrous 0-4 in the Clásico), the Italian managed to get his dressing room to face the trip to Seville and the match against Lopetegui’s men as if the title were at stake in those 90 minutes.

This explains that despite the 2-0 scoreline at half-time, together with the penalty not awarded to Diego Carlos and the arbitration error when admitting Rakitic’s goal as legal despite the irregularity in the barrier committed by Lamela, nobody in the locker room admitted the possibility of losing in Nervión. During that break, Ancelotti spoke to his players again and appealed to their pride as champions. He explained to them that just as they did against PSG and Chelsea, they could lift the result and earn everyone’s respect by winning the League in a big way, without unnecessary suffering and without having to resort to mathematics in the last days of the Championship. That is why he moved quickly, giving Rodrygo entry into the restart for the carded Camavinga, returning to his traditional 4-3-3 and turning the game over to Bono. With the Rodrygo’s quick goalCarlo insisted that the offensive be total, assuming that Sevilla was going to entrench themselves around the Moroccan goalkeeper. Vinicius’ inexplicably disallowed goal could have been a turning point. But Ancelotti, instead of clinging to that as an excuse that would have been valid to justify the defeat, he took out Nacho and Asensio and the order was to attack without fainting. This is how Nacho’s goal came from the ‘9’ position. But not even 2-2 was enough. He indicated to Benzema, his extension arm on the field alongside Modric, to seek connection with the Brazilians (Vini and Rodrygo) in search of 2-3. This is how the winning goal and the ecstasy of the leader in added time came, with the final celebration on the field and in the locker room. A celebration typical of a team that already feels like a champion.

Carlo reflected his joy after seeing that his ‘champion therapy’ had taken effect on the most important day: “We have learned that by believing, you can. I am very proud of what happened. I want to thank all the players”. That chemistry between the coaching staff and the squad was staged in the Pizjuán changing rooms with that happy pineapple in which once again David Alaba, in a classic already from the celebrations of the team’s latest deeds, once again raised a chair as a symbol of victory. The carlettine it was again accurate and effective. Ancelotti’s triumphant experience has led him to manage this locker room with silken threads, where even the substitutes feel part of the successes that are being achieved. The Italian transferred his happiness in this section of the course to mid-afternoon yesterday, with this message on Twitter: “Together until the end. Let’s go for the next one”. That will be tomorrow in Pamplona (21:30). Madrid’s 35th and the League won in a fifth different country by Ancelotti are much closer. It may be at the Wanda, on May 8, but after Barça’s puncture with Cádiz, that day I could play aisle instead of alirón. Real Madrid savors with morbidity that double possibility in the field of its neighbor. The math says it’s possible…