Ancelotti with hard act to follow in Munich
When Carlo Ancelotti takes up the reins as FC Bayern München head coach in July, he will have one small advantage over his predecessor in the same position, three years earlier. While Pep Guardiola took charge of a side looking to emulate an historic treble success under Jupp Heynckes, the bar for Ancelotti is not set quite so high, Bayern 'only' having won a domestic league and cup double in Guardiola's final year at the helm.
Three Bundesliga titles and two DFB Cups in three seasons under the Catalan master tactician is a balance that speaks for itself. The glaring omission from that collection is, of course, a repeat triumph in the UEFA Champions League; and in Ancelotti, the German record champs have hooked a man with a very special relationship to Europe's top club competition. In its earlier incarnation, as the European Cup, he won it twice as a midfielder with AC Milan in 1989 and '90. As a coach, the 26-time Italy international guided the Rossoneri to victory in 2003 and again in '07. Most recently, he oversaw Real Madrid CF's tenth title success in 2014, making him a five-time winner – to date.
