MY ACCOUNT
Carlo Ancelotti takes Real Madrid to Chelsea with a major point to prove after being cruelly dismissed as Blues chief in 2011.
The Italian tactician was sacked over his failure to bring European success to Stamford Bridge despite strong performances domestically.
And he will be desperate to ensure the Blues’ Champions League title defence ends in the quarter-finals as he returns to his former stamping ground.
Ahead of the first leg of the showdown on April 6, LiveScore take a look at the 62-year-old’s relationship with the West Londoners.
Ciao Carlo
The sacking of Ancelotti was a brutal moment from Roman Abramovich and did not sit well with many fans coming just a year after Chelsea won the Double.
In his first season at the club, the Blues became the first side to score 100 goals in a Premier League campaign as they romped to the title and added an FA Cup crown.
But finishing second the following year while playing an attractive brand of football was not enough for Ancelotti to keep his job as he was replaced by Andre Villas-Boas.
Unfortunately for the highly-rated boss, defeats against Inter Milan and Manchester United saw him crash out of the Champions League in the last 16 and quarter-finals which was deemed a failure with a star-studded squad.
It will have hurt to see his former side go all the way in Europe’s elite competition the following season under caretaker boss Roberto Di Matteo but Ancelotti has plenty of experience and insists being fired is just part of the game.
Speaking after Frank Lampard was sacked by Chelsea last year, the then Everton chief said: “It’s not unusual that a manager is sacked, Frank Lampard knows this.
“I think my personal opinion is being sacked is part of our job, we have to understand this.
“That’s it, I was sacked everywhere so I have to consider this fact.”
Life after London
Ancelotti has taken a number of high-profile jobs since leaving Chelsea, winning league titles with Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich either side of a 2014 Champions League triumph in his first spell at Real.
He also spent a short time with Napoli before taking over at Everton in late 2019, guiding the Toffees to 10th place before returning to the Bernabeu at the end of last season.
Free-scoring Real are cruising in LaLiga and hold a nine-point advantage to nearest rivals Sevilla.
Add in a stunning 3-2 aggregate triumph over PSG despite being behind to two strikes from summer target Kylian Mbappe, and everything looked to be rosy in the Spanish capital.
But a staggering 4-0 capitulation to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang-inspired Barcelona in Sunday’s El Clasico will have frustrated a notoriously fickle fanbase and added significant pressure.
Ancelotti has a trip to Celta Vigo on April 2 before heading to London four days later which could go a long way to defining his second spell at Europe’s most successful club.
As it stands, Chelsea fans will not have the chance to welcome their former hero after the UK Government placed sanctions on Abramovich and he will certainly not be looking to do them any favours as he seeks revenge for his dismissal.
