What changes will Ancelotti implement at Bayern Munich?
Carlo Ancelotti will take over from Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich this summer. The squad that have been flying high for many years won’t need much of an overhaul, but the Italian will surely want to make his own mark with the tactics and may favour some players over others.
The former Milan, Chelsea, and Real Madrid manager could find himself defending the Champions League title next season, as Bayern progressed one step closer after defeating last season’s finalists, Juventus. Luckily for fans, the club are bringing in somebody with great pedigree, who has won the Champions League three times already with two different teams.
Although Bayern currently have a manager who many class as the best in the world in Guardiola, if the Spaniard fails to take them all the way in Europe then Ancelotti could be classed as an upgrade. So what can the fans expect from the Italian next season?
The hierarchy at the Bavarian Club have already informed Ancelotti that his main task will be to deliver the Champions League title, regardless of whether they win it this season or not. So, he will have to focus on this as his primary objective with the Bundesliga title as the secondary assignment. Although Bayern have odds of 1/40 with http://extra.bet365.com/news/en/football/bundesliga to win the league as of 17th March, it’s the European elite competition that matters the most. Ancelotti will have to balance the squad so that he can put out the best possible team in Europe.
So far in Guardiola’s reign he has fallen short at the last hurdles in the Champions League, and his replacement will have to rectify some of the reasons for this. Bringing a more defensive Italian style to the game in Europe could work as Bayern have often been exposed on the counter-attack. The likes of Arturo Vidal and Kingsley Coman have a background in Serie A and could be key players. Ancelotti is also known for his ability to adapt formations and enjoys free-flowing, attacking football. So, he may change the squad and formation depending on the competition and the opponents.
Some of the backbone players at the club signed new contracts this season, including Xabi Alonso, Thomas Muller, and Jerome Boateng, and the new manager must try to hold on to a few of the other stars who have been such dominant figures in the team. There are rumours surrounding the prolific Robert Lewandowski’s future, as Barcelona and Real Madrid are both reported to have expressed an interest in a player who is blasting his way towards the Bundesliga golden boot in style. There is also some uncertainty over Arjen Robben, as a number of big clubs including Manchester United are expected to try and poach the speedy winger in the summer.
The main things for Ancelotti to do when he takes over is to try to hold on to the club’s best players and work out how to use them in his own technical set-up. The foundations have already been built by Guardiola and this team is more than capable of winning the Champions League, if not this year, then quite possibly next.
