Barcelona superstar praises Real Madrid coach: ‘The players follow him blindly’

In a recent media interaction, Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski offered his thoughts on Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, roughly a week after the loss in El Clasico.

Lewandowski, who played under Ancelotti during their time together at Bayern Munich, heaped praise on the Italian for his man-management skills.

Lewandowski praises Real Madrid coach

The Barcelona superstar noted that Carlo is an example to players and it has been evident at Real Madrid.

“Ancelotti is incredibly experienced. You can see it at Real Madrid the players follow him blindly,” said Lewandowski (h/t iMiaSanMia), who went on to share the experience of working with the Italian.

“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,” he added.

Lewandowski played under Ancelotti primarily in the 2016/17 season. Overall, he played in 57 competitive matches under the Italian tactician, notably racking up 54 goals and 15 assists.

Ancelotti’s spell at Bayern, though, was far from perfect as the team struggled in the Champions League and the Bundesliga. As a result, a slow start to the 2017/18 campaign saw Bayern sack the veteran manager.

Talking about Ancelotti’s failed spell at Bayern, Lewandowski said, “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.”

Ancelotti highlighted the complexities of German football, stating, “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,” the striker concluded.