Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti told the press ahead of their clash with Bayern Munich that he is part of a group of managers that try to do nothing. The Italian has returned to Munich, where he previously managed a little under a decade ago, and had kind words for the Bavarian capital, albeit admitting he had forgotten all of his German.
Amid talk that Real Madrid had rode their luck against Manchester City in the previous round, he was asked if he felt the side were underestimated.
“Madrid is never undervalued in this competition, because everyone knows what we can do. We feel respect from everyone.”
Ancelotti highlighted the fact that both Bayern and Los Blancos are sides that don’t have a clear identity as one of their strengths.
“In terms of quality, they are strong in transition, they can play in different ways and are very dangerous. We are two teams that do not have a very clear identity. We can both play in different ways.”
In the past, Ancelotti has railed against the idea that he is simply a man manager, but ahead of the Champions League semi-final, emphasized his people skills rather than his strategic brain.
“The most important role is never that of the coach. I am very clear that there are two types of coaches: those who do nothing and those who do a lot of damage. I try to be in the first group. The game belongs to the players and you can tell them a certain strategy, convince them, but then the determining factor is their quality and commitment. A coach has to focus on making the group understand the importance of teamwork.”
Before Ancelotti faced the press, Thomas Tuchel had told the press that he was certain that Serge Gnabry would return from injury to score on Tuesday night.
“Gnabry has his chances to score, like Sane, Kane or Musiala. For us, it is more likely that Vinicius scores than Mendy! It’s statistics. We greatly respect their forward, nothing more.”
Real Madrid have run the rule over Bayern in recent years, but it is the first time either have faced each other since Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Robert Lewandowski have left their sides respectively. That year Real Madrid won 4-3 on aggregate, before going on to beat Liverpool in the final of the 2018 edition.
