What went wrong for Carlo Ancelotti at Bayern Munich?
It seems that if a football club wants to win the UEFA Champions League, then Carlo Ancelotti always seems to be everyone's favorite choice. The Italian manager has made it a habit to win the top European competition at club level and multiple major football clubs have chosen him as the one who could take them to the top, which was the case of Bayern Munich back in the summer of 2016.
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So, what went wrong for Ancelotti this time? Why did he fail to repeat what he achieved with the likes of AC Milan and Real Madrid despite the sheer quality of his squad? Let's find that out here.
A rushed change of style
It is important to point out that a manager changing a team's playing style is always going to be a delicate situation. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. However, it makes sense for a coach to implement his own philosophy since that is what has brought him results in the past. That being said, it is quite bizarre that Ancelotti, a manager famous for adapting to his squad, decided to go for a more counter-attack approach with Bayern Munich.Since the days of German manager Jupp Heynckes, Bayern have been playing with a possession-based style complemented by intense pressing, which is something that they doubled down with through the signing of Pep Guardiola as manager, and when considering that Ancelotti didn't revamp the squad, the decision to change the style was quite illogical.
It robbed the German giants of a style they were used to and didn't do them any favors since they would end up losing to Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals, controversial referee decisions notwithstanding. It was a step below what they had done with Guardiola, who reached three semifinals in the three seasons he was at the helm, which was a major blow for the Italian.
Arjen Robben was one of the aging players in Ancelotti's squad
Dressing room problems
An issue that normally is unbecoming of Ancelotti is problems in the dressing room. He has become known for building a strong rapport with the players and the latter would usually give their all for him. However, when it came to the Bayern Munich footballers, that didn't seem to be the case, with the likes of Arjen Robben and Thomas Müller talking about not knowing what the Italian wanted from them in training and failing to confirm they were backing him after losing 3-0 against Paris Saint Germain in the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League group stage.Alessandro Alciato, who collaborated with Ancelotti on the writing of his autobiography, Quiet Leadership, told Sky in Italy the following after the Paris Saint Germain defeat:
"Clearly the locker room was divided. The big names of the club were not happy that they were not always playing and in Munich this was not accepted also by the fans. If an important player doesn't train or play well he is out, but some players like Muller, Robben, Ribery and others did not accept this. They had got to a dead end."
It was reported that Ancelotti lost the dressing room after that match, with five senior players wanting him out, as per Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeneß's own statements. It is quite surprising to see a coach known for his ability to handle personal relations with players struggling that way at a club of this caliber, but that is something that took a toll on him.
Squad-building problems
Ancelotti is not a manager who has a very hands-on approach when it comes to signings, usually providing input when he thinks that is absolutely necessary. In that regard, he had to deal at Bayern Munich with a side that was struggling to deal with what could now be perceived as a transitional period.Phillip Lahm recently retired, leaving a massive gap in terms of leadership and sheer quality as a full-back. Xabi Alonso, a world-class midfielder who already thrived with Ancelotti back in his first Real Madrid, retired as well. Manuel Neuer, one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, was dealing with his own set of injuries.
Furthermore, while the legendary winger duo of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribéry were 33 and 34 years old, respectively, and still with a lot of quality, but age was also taking its toll on them as well. Kingsley Coman, someone suited to be a generational replacement, was plagued by injuries and didn't have the same impact as he did with Pep Guardiola. The same can be said of Brazilian winger Douglas Costa, who never managed to make an impact with the Italian.
Midfield signings Renato Sanches and Corentin Tolisso, both young and signed one summer apart, also struggled to rejuvenate the squad in such a pivotal position. Colombian attacking midfield James Rodriguez, while severely talented, always struggled with consistency and discipline, which was a running problem throughout his career.