The early days of Carlo Ancelotti as a manager
Carlo Ancelotti is someone who has always known success in football. Whether it's as a player or as a manager, the Italian has made it a habit to win in the beautiful game and do so at the highest level, which is why is interesting to look back at his early days as a manager, that doesn't always get the same coverage as the rest of his managerial career.
Playing career, national team, and Reggiana
Ancelotti started his career in the lower divisions of Italian football with Parma, even going as far as playing as a second striker at times. This was back in the late 70s and, after a couple of seasons, he ended up signing for AS Roma in the early 80s, winning the club's second Scudetto in the 1982/83 season, becoming one of the most celebrated players in the club's history throughout the years.He signed for AC Milan in 1987 and spent the remaining five years of his career there, mainly under the guidance of manager Arrigo Sacchi. While Ancelotti didn't have the recognition of the likes of Marco van Basten or Ruud Gullit, he would be another pivotal piece of Sacchi's puzzle to win multiple major titles, including the 1989 and 1990 European Cup trophies.
Once he retired, he became Sacchi's assistant in the Italian national team, which served him as an internship of sorts, learning what it takes regarding to be a manager. This included being a part of the Italy team that reached the 1994 World Cup final in the United States, where they lost to Brazil by penalties after a 0-0 draw. He would end up leaving the position of assisting manager for the national team in 1995 to start his journey as a head coach.
His managerial career would begin in the 1995/96 season with Reggiana in Serie B, quickly bringing them to Serie A, being as of this writing, the last manager to achieve this feat with this club. Ancelotti had a record of seventeen wins, fourteen draws and ten losses, which was not very impressive, but the end result of reaching the Serie A, at a time when it was the best league in the world, cannot be understated.
His Parma days
It is worth pointing out that the Parma Ancelotti played in the late 70s was a very different team to the one he returned to in 1996. After a good debut season as a professional manager with Reggiana, the club that gave him his debut as a footballer wanted to give him a chance as manager in Serie A, with this now being a team that had enjoyed success with manager Nevio Scala, which included winning the 1992 Coppa Italia, the 1993 European Cup Winners' Cup, the 1993 European Super Cup, the 1994 UEFA Cup, and the 1995 Supercoppa Italiana.Simply put, this was the first time that Ancelotti would have to deal with expectations as a manager, and the results were rather mixed. It's hard to believe this now, but, at the time, the Italian was a very rigid coach from an attacking perspective. He had a strict 4-4-2 formation that didn't get the most out of players such as Gianfranco Zola and Hristo Stoichkov, despite the natural talent of these footballers.
Both Stoichkov and Zola would be sold in the summer, but the first season had Hernan Crespo and Enrico Chiesa thriving as a partnership under Ancelotti's guidance. This would push Parma to second place in Serie A, which was a considerable achievement given the competitive level of the league at the time. Players like Gianluigi Buffon and Fabio Cannavaro would also begin to establish themselves as main figures of the side.
The second season, though, would be mostly viewed as a disappointment. Parma would disappoint in the UEFA Champions League, getting eliminated in the first round, and finishing in a meager sixth place in the league. Ancelotti would be sacked at the end of the 1997/98 season, which would also be a major lesson for him moving forward in his career.
He would come back to the dugout in February of 1999 as he became the Juventus manager, although that is a chapter of his career that deserves his own piece since it was filled with problems for the former AC Milan player.
Conclusion
The early years of Carlo Ancelotti's managerial career, as it tends to happen with other coaches, was a pivotal moment of development for him. That is when he learned a lot about what it takes to become a successful coach and the sacrifices one has to make, especially regarding his ability to be flexible and to adapt to his squad, which is something he struggled with at the beginning.Moreover, one can look back and see the first signs of the manager he would become, especially regarding the demands of the clubs he had to deal with. There is an argument to be made that the complete version of his coaching style wouldn't be seen until his AC Milan days, with these stints serving as lessons for his growth.