The Italian Carlo Ancelotti and the Spanish Pep Guardiola They meet again for the second year in a row in the semifinals of a Champions League where they present historical records and the former dominates, with four ‘orejonas’ on their record, more than the others.
He real Madrid He is the defender of a title he won on May 28 in Paris on Liverpool. A 1-0 win that made Ancelotti the most successful coach in the competition and that came after beating City in the semifinals in a third successive return to the playoffs, and the most likely of all.
In the first leg, the white team survived a 2-0 defeat in 11 minutes from the English team. It came to go 3-1 and 4-2 down, but ended with a 4-3 that gave the madridistas hope for a comeback, trusting the reason Bernabeu.
However, for 90 minutes it was a mirage. A memory of what was lived, without being. Even shortly before the 90th minute, with the score 0-1, the white fans went home and silence reigned in the Madrid stadium. Until Rodrygo appeared.
Double in minute 90 and 91 to force an extension where Karim Benzemain 95, managed, from a penalty, to turn the tie around and leave Guardiola there was a face of disbelief and helplessness on the bench. Reflection of what they felt Pochettino and Tuchel before, but it seems that he will not live anymore.
A recent bad memory in ‘Champions‘ against him real Madrid which was added to the previous one, when the Spanish coach directed the Bayern Munich.
In 2014, the two coaches met in the semifinals. The 1-0 at the Bernabéu, the work of Benzema leaving everything open for a return where, as he was known Guardiola in the book ‘Herr Pep’, he made his big mistake.
“The 0-4 against Madrid in ‘Champions’ it’s my worst shit as a coach”, he assured in relation to a meeting where, according to his words, he decided to be guided by the impetus of external agents and not by his own ideas.
And this is the Champions League it’s territory’Carletto‘ In direct confrontations, with complete victory in two head-to-head games in the semifinals, although in overall duels they lost.
Guardiola has six wins, compared to Ancelotti’s three. It is yes, the five of Pep, in addition to the lost of ‘Champions‘ from last season, was when the Italian led an Everton with goals and ambitions lower than City’s in the Premier.
Nine direct rivalries in which, surprisingly, there is no tie between them. With 21 goals for Guardiola and 14 goals from Ancelotti’s teams.
Ancelotti, king of Champions; semifinal guardiola
Rivalry among banks will be high. With a Carlo Ancelotti who has accumulated four trophies (2003 and 2007 incl Milan; 2014 and 2022 inclusive real Madrid), more than any other coach after defeating the English in Paris Bob Paisley (1977, 1978 and 1981, with Liverpool) and Frenchman Zinedine Zidane (2016, 2017 and 2018, with Real Madrid), the only winners of the ‘Champions’, with the current format, consecutively.
A title that is within the wide palmares of Guardiolawith ten of the 13 leagues in which he played, winning, he is fighting.
Pep has not won the Champions League since 2011, his second, after 2009, which he won with Barcelona. Since then, only one final has been played, where he lost in 2021 match Chelsea (0-1), lost his first international final in his career as a coach.
However, the Spanish coach is the one who brought his teams to the semifinals the most times, up to ten times. From 2008 to 2012 with Barcelona, from 2013 to 2016 with Bayern Munich and from 2020 to 2023 with Manchester City.
Behind this historical list appears, surely, ancelottiwith nine, and the Portuguese Jose Mourinho there are eight.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
