"Why were they suited to this club? Because they themselves once stood on the pitch alongside outstanding footballers. Ancelotti also played under Arrigo Sacchi at Milan while Zidane scored key goals in Champions League and World Cup finals. People with this aura are respected by the best. Ancelotti and Zidane have been part of packs brimming with talent throughout their professional lives. This enables them to assess accurately the qualities of top footballers as well as deal with their weaknesses."
"Xabi Alonso has the same profile. As a player, he was an institution in defensive midfield, winning everything with his club and national team. He is practically Ancelotti minus two decades of experience. Until now, Alonso had planned his career carefully. He knew what risk he was taking when he moved to Real. The experiment has failed but it has given him valuable knowledge for his future career."
Real Madrid finished the league season in a playoff position after a 4-2 defeat at Benfica, prompting scrutiny despite habitual expectations of top-eight performance. Ancelotti and Zidane commanded respect because they once shared the pitch with outstanding footballers, giving them first-hand insight into elite qualities and weaknesses. Their playing pedigrees allowed them to assess and unify talented squads. Xabi Alonso shares that player-profile and brought stability and authority at Leverkusen, where he guided the team to its first German championship and achieved the double. The move to Real was a calculated risk that failed but provided valuable experience for Alonso.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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