Ten days spent without a job and here he is again in England: dismissed by Naples, coach Carlo Ancelotti resumes service at the head of Everton, in the Premier League, to straighten the Toffees in very bad shape. A mission of four and a half years far from its standing.
After having forcibly abandoned the Neapolitan sky blue tunic, the "Mister" puts on that of Everton, a blue which this season has no king but the name. The task he has just accepted: to bring back to another honorable place the other Liverpool club, ambitious and with the typical profile of a troublemaker, but currently 16e in the English Championship with three points ahead of the relegation zone.
But, already, the arrival of Ancelotti on the banks of the Mersey is questioning. Juventus, AC Milan, Chelsea, Paris, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Naples: Ancelotti has so far known only the excellence of the big teams. At 60, he puts his hands in the grease at Everton, at the risk of dirtying his CV in solid gold, garnished with three Champions Leagues – two with Milan (2003, 2007), one with Real (2014) – and four championships.
Champions League figure
"It is a big club with a rich history and very passionate fans. Owner and board have clear vision for success and trophies ”, Ancelotti said in a statement on the club's website.
🔵 | Introducing the new manager of Everton Football Club, @MrAncelotti! #WelcomeMrAncelotti https://t.co/zNNoix8H5R
Certainly, he returns to a country he has already conquered, at the helm of Chelsea (2009-2011), with a double Premier League-English Cup in 2010 thanks to the legends Frank Lampard, John Terry and Didier Drogba (29 goals in the championship).
But, this time, his "Blues" will be much paler and Ancelotti will not be able to count on any flagship player. A squad at the height of a club which does not participate in any European Cup this season and which is eleven points behind Chelsea, 4e, last qualifying place in the Champions League, and eight on Tottenham, 5e, rank synonymous with Europa League.
A figure in the Champions League, Ancelotti, who has participated in it 17 times in 21 seasons spent on a bench since his debut in Parma in 1996, will therefore be deprived of it for the end of the season. Even though he has just qualified Naples for the eighth of C1, the day of his dismissal Tuesday December 10. The native of Emilia-Romagna paid Naples a failed Serie A start to the penalty marks by a poor 8e place, 14 points from the top 4.
"Only the best is enough"
Former player of AS Rome and AC Milan, double winner as middle of the Champions League with the rossoneri (1989, 1990), Ancelotti left Napoli to Gennaro Gattuso, 2006 world champion with the Nazionale and image of the new generation of Italian tacticians.
The Italian with the legendary suspended eyebrow, who signed until 2024, attended the match on Saturday against Arsenal (1:30 p.m.), who also has a new coach: Mikel Arteta. On the Everton side, as has been the case since the dismissal on December 5 of the Portuguese Marco Silva, it is the manager of the club Duncan Ferguson who will ensure the last time the interim.
Ancelotti will officially take over on Sunday before his first home game against Burnley on Thursday 26 December. A real blow for Everton, which perfectly illustrates the motto of the club: "Nil satis nisi optimum", only the best is enough.
"He is one of the best managers in world football and a confirmed winner, having achieved a remarkable level of success in each of the major European championships", savored in the press release Marcel Brands, the football director of Everton.
In his new English adventure, the Mister has, in any case, a good argument to please supporters of Everton: in 2007, his Milan had deprived rival Liverpool of a new Champions League in the final. Even if, two years earlier, his Milan was joined at 3-3 and then beaten by these same Reds, during the "Istanbul miracle", one of the matches of the century.
