When talk turned to how football is evolving, Ancelotti laid out a clear verdict on the game’s defining trend. For years the debate centred on possession, pressing and building from the back. Now, the Lille manager reckons, the elite sides have shifted their focus to the defensive phase.
He says: “The leading teams today attach the utmost importance to their defensive phase. Whether they use zonal marking or man-to-man marking, the teams that reach the Champions League final give priority to defence over attack.”
Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain prove his point, he argues, because for all the gulf in style, both are built on a rock-solid defensive foundation. Man-to-man marking, he explains, has become a weapon for the giants: Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona, with Real Madrid joining them when they press hard. The aim is simple. Deny the opponent time and space to build.
That kind of football demands defenders who can win their individual duels, he insists, pointing to Saliba and Gabriel at Arsenal, and Marquinhos and Pacho at Paris Saint-Germain.
Spain draw clear admiration from Davide Ancelotti, who sees in them a model of technical, collective football. He says: “They are excellent at handling the ball. They embody technical football, the third man, numerical superiority and, most importantly, playing as one team. They are without doubt a source of inspiration.”
Even through the barren spells, he adds, Spain never abandoned their identity. Spanish football, in his eyes, has built something unmistakably its own.
Italy, by contrast, needs stability in its project. The Azzurri were once famous for their defensive strength, he points out, but that quality has faded. He said: “We have always been renowned for our defensive strength, and that is what no longer happens now. We have always had capable managers, such as Mancini and Spalletti, at a very high level. And now, I hope we will see stability in our project.”