I had grown tired of his unchanging ways and how it seemed he let his squad turn stagnant. Milan have become very predictable and frankly boring under Carlo. He seemed to be relying too much on Kaka'. Don't get me wrong with a player like Kaka' you would be foolish not have him as the centre of your team but at times during the last couple of years it seemed that we won only if Kaka was playing well! He also had a knack for acquiring over aged players. Favalli, Oddo to name a few. Since Kaka joined Milan, they have failed to acquire a single world class player. Gourcuff the obvious exception but they chased him out of San Siro. I blamed Ancelotti for everything. Things weren't always that way between me and Carlo though. He had the vision to change Pirlo from an attacking midfielder outcast at Inter to the world class player he is today. He also transformed the career of Seedorf who is now forever a legend in the Milan ranks. He made Kaka'. He played him straight from Brazil into the Milan first team. In my eyes he had left the team in shambles. I was wrong.
After seeing Milan this season and how Galliani and Berlusconi are running the club. Most noticeably their transfer policy and how they gave nothing to Leonardo to work with. I started feeling sympathy fro Ancelotti. How in gods name was he able to work with the two of them for so long? It is obvious to me now that there was no money to spend and Carlo had to make due with what was available. It seems to me now that he was actually more of a genius than I had thought. He deserved much more credit than I ever gave him. He was an underachiever in my book for years, but it turns out he is actually a great over achiever. With no money to spend it seemed he was very shrude in acquiring the out of contract and older players. He knew they could give him something for the short term. He kept star players happy for a very long time although it seemed they had a lot to feel disgruntled about. He was able to deal with Berlusconi for 8 years which is a trophy in itself. He was not without fault though. He alienated Gourcuff, one of the most talented young players in a generation. He gave too much control to Galliani in acquiring players, most noticeably Ronaldinho who it seemed Carlo was not convinced with. Regardless of everything I think I owe him an apology, not that he will ever read this:). Carlo's experience in Milan became an invaluable tool at Chelsea.
Ancelotti's appointment as Chelsea manager was met with some skepticism. After all a lot of people saw what I was previously talking about. The fair conclusion was made that being a Champions League ace, he was hired to bring European glory to the blues. He didn't. I recall the amount of abuse that was thrown Carlo's way once beaten by Mourniho's Inter at Stamford Bridge and again after losing at home to City. Ancelotti is a clam and collected man with an abundance of experience when dealing with star studded squads (Milan had a star studded squad once upon a time) and interfering presidents. In a turbulent season filled with ups and downs Carlo Ancelotti proved an invaluable asset. He was able to keep his squad together and lift them up time and time again even when players had more problems off the pitch than on it. He reinvigorated Malouda and turned him into the world beater he originally was tipped to be. Even when missing key players his tactical ability and depth in squad made him cruise by. Make no mistake Chelsea were the best team in the league this season. They did not win the Premier League because other teams were less consistent and going through a rough patch, mainly Manchester United. The Barclay's Premier League has become tougher than ever. As a result the so called big four don't get to enjoy the jolly rides they were accustomed to, just ask Liverpool. Carlo's Chelsea over came this in style. They destroyed their counterparts in the top four club beating Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool home and away. Chelsea won the league by playing record breaking attacking football. 103 goals in 1 season is a marvelous achievement. They put 7 past opposition three times and 8 on the final day of the season to clinch the title. Carlo Ancelotti has proved to be the man for the long haul, unaffected by setbacks through out the season and focused on the end game. Next Saturday Chelsea play Portsmouth in the FA Cup final, were Carlo Ancelotti has a chance to earn them an unprecedented double. Although a Pompey victory would be stuff of legend, I do feel Chelsea will win this. The days of the special one are now but a distant memory.
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