In the great sporting comeback narratives, the return of the conciliator scarcely sounds the most dramatic. But Carlo Ancelotti is back at Real Madrid, his trademark affability meaning no bridges were burned in his first spell, his innate likeability seeming to help ease his exit from Everton, even when he had pledged his loyalty to them only weeks earlier.
It all felt rather free of acrimony. Ancelotti is not merely the joint most successful manager in the history of the Champions League – a distinction he shares with his predecessor, Zinedine Zidane, whose rather more critical comments of president Florentino Perez may preclude him from having a third stint in charge at the Bernabeu – but arguably the finest managerial diplomat of the 21st century.
Such skills could come in handy. There is a logic behind Ancelotti’s appointment. He can seem a man who changes little but wins a lot, albeit partly because he is employed by clubs with the players and budget to do so. But now Real, £1 billion in debt, have less room for manoeuvre than usual. They may try to magic a Galactico in. Broadly, though, Ancelotti will have to work with what he has got.
And his expertise in massaging the egos of the superstars was apparent at his unveiling. Gareth Bale has scored in a Champions League final for Ancelotti. His Real career felt over until the Italian’s return. The reality is that no one else will match his wages for the last year of his contract. Rather than subsidising Bale’s deal to play for another club, Real may yet witness a different sort of comeback, the re-emergence of a player who never actually left their books or their wage bill.
Real can be prisoners of their past. Their plight calls for a peacemaker with the man-management skills to reintegrate those who Perez or Zidane exiled. Unless Real receive a suitable offer – which is no guarantee when budgets everywhere else are slashed – they are still likely to own Martin Odegaard, Dani Ceballos, Brahim Diaz, Luka Jovic and Bale.
Given the ageing nature of Real’s squad, the gaps within it and the lack of goals from anyone not named Karim Benzema, it calls for a resourceful manager who can rehabilitate some of those who have fallen from favour and lost form or fitness. Their second highest scorer last season got seven goals; it is little wonder that some of Ancelotti’s unveiling was devoted to Eden Hazard. Once again, the improvement will have to come from within.
Under other circumstances, Real’s need to usher in a next generation would have rendered Ancelotti among the least suitable of candidates. He has rarely felt the visionary to oversee an overhaul; he is likelier to be a continuity candidate and, when most of Real’s premier players are in their thirties, continuity is likely to lead to decline.
Yet with Real unable to invest in a way they would want, Ancelotti may have to make do. His uncomplaining attitude could help; so, too, his track record of working with the experienced and of devising a slower style of play to suit them.
His AC Milan side could veer between the old and the ancient: they won the 2007 Champions League with a 39-year-old captain, six more thirty-somethings in the starting 11, plus Massimo Ambrosini, who was 29 years and 359 days. It was short-termist, but Ancelotti has showed he can win with those who have won before, both with and without him.
There are legitimate questions if, soon to turn 62 and after going four years without silverware, Ancelotti is regressing along with Real. This time he does not inherit Cristiano Ronaldo at his prime, or a Bale just bought for £85 million. But when you have just been managing Alex Iwobi, maybe that does not matter. Ancelotti might not be a Real manager for perfect times any longer, but he could just be a Real manager for these times.
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