Semi-finalist with experience – Newspaper Kommersant No. 69 (7514) dated 04/20/2023
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Having advanced to the semi-finals of the Champions League after a 2-0 away win over Chelsea in the second leg, Real Madrid confirmed the status of the most stable grandee in Europe, and his mentor Carlo Ancelotti – the most stable coach in terms of extracting European Cup results. However, in this case, the Madrid breakthrough looks not so much a great prowess akin to last year, but a chic compensation from fate for the torment with which he got to the title in the previous draw.
After the return quarter-final match between Real Madrid and Chelsea, many media resources, of course, were happy to cite catchy figures characterizing the power and stability of the Madrid club and the talent of its current mentor. If we take the start of the previous decade, 2010, as a starting point, then it turns out that in the damn dozen seasons that have fallen on this segment, the Spanish grandee made it to the semi-finals of the Champions League for at least the 11th time. That is, in 13 years there were only two breakdowns. And this, of course, is a stunning result even by the standards of the largest continental giants. The result, which gives Real Madrid the image of a virtually unsinkable colossus: it may not have the best of times, but, while struggling with problems that send others to the bottom, it’s still in the tournament, more important, more prestigious, in the end, more profitable than anything in club football does not exist, will not stumble, will go to the stage that guarantees a good return in image and financial terms.
And personally for Carlo Ancelotti, the current semi-final will be the ninth. And for a day, by their number, he turned into a co-owner of the record. For a day – because on Wednesday evening, late in the evening, Moscow time, the rival of Real Madrid in the semi-finals was determined. Finding out who it will be, Bayern and Manchester City, led by another nine-time Champions League semi-finalist as coach Pep Guardiola. And given the outcome of the first meeting (3-0 in favor of the English club at home), there was little doubt that Guardiola would round off the number of penetrations into the top four.
But in any case, Ancelotti’s achievement is impressive. Moreover, it is impressive even in comparison with the performance of Guardiola.
Because it was a little easier to achieve it. Since 2008, Pep Guardiola has been working exclusively in clubs for which the Champions League semi-final is something of a norm: Barcelona, Bayern, now Manchester City. At the same time, each time, coming to a new place of work, the Spaniard, strictly speaking, received at his disposal a team already ripe for exploits, which required only fine cutting and refinement.
With Carlo Ancelotti, the story is more complicated. Until his second appearance at Real Madrid in the summer of 2021, he worked at the still fairly ordinary Napoli and Everton. And he returned to Real Madrid at a moment that cannot be exactly described as favorable. Ancelotti was invited to get out of a crisis that was too conspicuous: Madrid, for example, were left without the gold of the Spanish championship, even despite the failure of Barcelona, which then plunged into absolute chaos.
However, no matter how spectacular the figures are, telling about the strength of Real Madrid and the person coaching him, the version that looks even more irrational in relation to the current march of Madrid around the Champions League grid is more suitable. About higher justice.
A year ago, fate in the play-offs of the Champions League threw Real Madrid one after another the most difficult tests.
In the 1/8 finals – the mighty PSG, in the quarterfinals – the same Chelsea, but then still bearing the title of the owner of the most valuable among trophies and very dangerous. To knock out the Parisians, Madrid had to digest a 0-1 loss in the first meeting and a goal from Kylian Mbappe, with whom he opened the scoring in the second leg. To knock out the Londoners, they had to digest embarrassment in the second, home game. Real Madrid approached her after a guest victory – 3: 1 – as a 100% favorite, who can no longer miss a win, but in regular time the doomed Chelsea made up the gap, and his opponent needed to gnaw out the semi-final in overtime.
Now the Spanish club seems to have received generous compensation for the torment that fell to its lot. In the 1/8 finals – Liverpool, not at all similar to its recent self, in the quarterfinals – changed beyond recognition Chelsea, which, after acquiring the club from Roman Abramovich by a consortium led by Todd Boely, spent two transfer windows on transfers over £ 500 million, but instead of taking off, he went into the steepest peak, disgracing himself in all tournaments with his participation. And it would be strange if the Champions League for a team that is not in the top ten of the English championship would become an exception, an island of happiness in a boundless sea of troubles. How strange it would be if, instead of the usual lack of productive attacking ideas, Chelsea demonstrated in the second leg the knowledge and ability to win back gaps, which almost brought him good luck in the confrontation with Real Madrid in 2022.
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