Paul Clement has remarked at how the technical level of the players at Real Madrid has surprised both him and Carlo Ancelotti.
Assistant Coach Clement followed Ancelotti to the Santiago Bernabeu this summer and is working alongside Zinedine Zidane in the dugout and during sessions with the Madrid players.
Reflecting on life so far in the Spanish capital, the Englishman has admitted that working at Madrid has proven to be a step up for both himself and for Ancelotti.
“From day one I noticed in similar training drills to the ones we used at Chelsea and PSG the execution here was at a much higher level,” mused Clement, who has worked with Ancelotti at Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain also, to The Daily Mail this week
“I can think of one exercise we have done at all three clubs and myself and Carlo looked at each other and then back at the players and we couldn’t believe the level they achieved.
“Chelsea had fantastic players but they were different. They were a mature, powerful team, strong physically. PSG had a big range in quality but here, young players to old, the technical level is very high.
“How do we test them then? You reduce the time and the space so they think quicker and have to act quicker.”
Clement has fellow Brit Gareth Bale on the playing staff at Madrid.
“What I like about Gareth is he is a normal down-to-earth guy in the dressing room who knuckles down on the training ground and who wants to improve.
“He went through a period when he was getting in good scoring positions and not finishing at the level that he would have liked. So the next day he is saying to me, ‘Can we do some extra shooting?’
“He is really on top of his own game and in my experience working with top players, whether it be Frank [Lampard], John [Terry] or Ashley [Cole] at Chelsea, or Zlatan [Ibrahimovic] at PSG, without exception they all work incredibly hard.
“They have talent but they do all those other little things that make the difference.
“Bale’s similarities with Ronaldo? I think Gareth tends to come in between the lines a little bit more and play while Cristiano loves to take the ball and go directly to the goal. But both are athletes and goalscorers.
“Ronaldo? There is a goal and you have to try to put the ball in it. And I think that is what Cristiano thinks when he is playing.”
Clement was asked of Mesut Ozil’s late summer exit to Arsenal.
“There is a lot of competition for places here. Gareth came and there were no guarantees of anyone playing regularly and Mesut wanted that guarantee.
“It couldn’t be given and so he decided to move on. He has got the experience of playing four years here at a very big club and he goes into a club that has probably underachieved now for a good number of years.
“He goes into a dressing room where he is a senior figure — it’s a perfect time in his career for that.”
The 41-year-old mused on his future in the game and if there was the chance he would move into a position as head Coach one day.
“I am thinking about it. Just before I came here there were a couple of opportunities including the Championship and another job abroad but I was really excited about coming here.
“I would love to have had a playing career but when you are playing you are very often thinking about yourself.
“When you are learning to be a Coach you think about the bigger picture. I have been thinking about the bigger picture for a long time now. Possibly it’s an advantage.
“This is a fantastic place to be. I will try to stay here for as long as I can. It’s a great experience to work at this level. It’s the pinnacle.”
