“How can you say that to me?” - Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti recalls incident that led to PSG departure
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti, who worked at PSG between January 2012 and June 2013, has finally opened up on why he parted ways with the French giants. The tactician has revealed that he left the club because of the ultimatum they placed on him to beat Porto in a Champions League group stage match in December 2012.
Carlo Ancelotti was appointed as PSG manager on January 1, 2012, coming in as a replacement for Antoine Kombouare, who was dismissed shortly after the QSI takeover in 2011. The tactician appeared to enjoy the start of his journey in Paris, initiating a couple of major changes at the club before things started turning sour after 12 months.
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The Italian explained how things went in his early days at the Parc des Princes during an interview with Spanish program Universo Valdano (via Get French Football News).
“I went there thanks to [sporting director] Leonardo, who I managed as a player. It was a club that Qatar had recently bought. I really liked the project and there wasn’t a manager yet.
“We started to change the structure of training sessions, to put in a kitchen, etc. Because French players arrive half an hour before training and leave half an hour afterwards. I liked the project, but in the second year they weren’t so happy with me.”
Carlo Ancelotti then went further to explain how the threat he received from PSG to beat Porto in their Champions League group stage face-off in December 2012 influenced him to leave.
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He said:
“For a Champions League match in which we were already through to the knockouts, we had lost a League game [to Nice, 1-2] before winning [against Evian, 4-0], and they told me that if I didn’t beat Porto, they would sack me. I told them, how can you say that to me, it breaks our trust. I decided to leave in February, even if they wanted to renew me.”
Carlo Ancelotti's record with PSG
Carlo Ancelotti was in charge of 77 games across all competitions during his time with PSG, averaging 2.13 points per game. He recorded 49 victories, 17 draws and 11 defeats, with his total points tally standing at 164, as per Transfermarkt.
The Italian managed to lead the Parisians to the Ligue 1 title during the 2012-13 campaign. Unfortunately, that was the sole trophy he won with the club. He left for Real Madrid in the summer of 2013 where he spent two years, leaving for a couple of other clubs before returning last summer.