Bayern Munich has long since said goodbye to both former striker Robert Lewandowski and former head coach Carlo Ancelotti.
While Bayern is set to meet up against Ancelotti’s Real Madrid side in the second leg of their Champions League semifinal tie, Lewandowski is out of the tournament and has zero chance of winning any competitions this season at all.
In addition to having an underwhelming season, the Barcelona attacker came out with a horrendous take in a recent interview captured by Bild reporter Tobi Altschäffl (via @iMiaSanMia), saying the following about Carlo Ancelotti’s time in Munich:
It was a new country, a new culture for him. If Carlo were to come to Germany again, he would know exactly what he had to do differently. It’s not easy to coach or play in Germany as a foreigner. If Carlo had stayed a bit longer and we had got through the difficult phase with him – then an era would have been possible with him. If he had survived the difficult moment, things would have been easier for everyone afterwards
He’s incredibly experienced. You can see it at Real Madrid – the players follow him blindly. Carlo is a great guy who always spoke a lot to the players. He gave me a special feeling. Not just self-confidence, but a feeling that I can take one or two more steps in my career.
Bayern Munich is a club that values hard work, focus, and determination. This has allowed it to achieve continued success at the highest level. Carlo Ancelotti, on the other hand, is a manager who likes to sit back and take it easy while his players arrange the training sessions for him.
Lewandowski might’ve been a fan of the Italian coach, but leaders within the squad such as Thomas Müller and Manuel Neuer were not. Waiting through the “difficult phase” when a significant portion of the team’s top players wanted the manager out would’ve resulted in nothing more than Bayern’s string of Bundesliga triumphs ending earlier than it has.
Putting his beyond his poor stint at Bayern, Ancelotti has proven that he is a great manager. It just happened to be the case that his coaching philosophy did not fit at Bayern, and there’s no reason to think he’d adjust upon a return to the Bundesliga when his managerial style has worked just fine elsewhere.