21 February 2023 , 02:00
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Carlo Ancelotti returns to Liverpool and could be tempted to take in some familiar sea air in preparation for the Champions League rematch with Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Because the urbane 63-year-old, the most decorated man in Champions League history – he’s won it four times as a manager – really enjoyed his 18 months on Merseyside in charge of Everton. And he loved nothing better than walking on Crosby beach, famed for Antony Gormley’s ‘Iron Men’, close to his home.
Just along the coast is Formby where Klopp is based together with a number of his Anfield players including Roberto Firmino, Fabinho and Naby Keita.
Ancelotti admitted: “I would often walk on Crosby beach with my dogs. Also the area is good for cycling and walking. You can walk to Formby on the coastal path. There are the Gormley statues which I really liked looking at. It’s a wonderful beach.”
Considering the Italian who has been linked with taking over the Brazil side has lived in idealistic places like Madrid, Milan, Paris and Rome, it’s interesting hearing him wax lyrical over a piece of coastline close to Liverpool.
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One thing he wasn’t expecting when he went for a haircut at a local barber’s was to be confronted with a souvenir ticket from the 2005 Champions League final in which his AC Milan were on the wrong end of the Istanbul footballing miracle against Rafa Benitez’s Liverpool.
Little did he know he had ventured into the premises owned by the son of Liverpool’s famous scout Geoff Twentyman, an avid Kopite who was still in awe of that night alongside the Bosporus.
A serial winner, Ancelotti enjoyed his 18 months at Everton (Getty Images)Klopp and Ancelotti also both frequented the Waitrose store in Formby, the small town which was also home to Ancelotti’s son and one time Goodison Park coach Davide. Now the pair are more concerned with shopping for another European title and in the process denying Liverpool revenge for the Champions League final defeat in Paris in May.
Ancelotti senior hasn’t allowed talk of him succeeding Tite as Brazil boss to distract from Tuesday night’s trip to Anfield.
“The Brazil players in the squad (Vinicius Junior, Miltao, Rodrygo) joke about it. But the reality is I have a contract at Madrid until 2024,” he insisted.
He’s also just added another trophy, the Club World Cup, to the Bernabeu’s stunning collection but inevitably with Barcelona having opened up a sizeable gap at the top of La Liga there are question marks over his and some of the older players futures. There’s even been talk in some quarters that Klopp would be on any Real Madrid shortlist if Ancelotti was to leave.
Luka Modric is 37, Karim Benzema 35, Toni Kroos 33, Eden Hazard 32. It appears that Modric is the most vulnerable and isn’t expected to be offered a new deal when his current contract ends in the summer. But it’s 22 trophies since joining in 2012 from Spurs. He is a confirmed Ancelotti fan.
“Carlo helps us to grow and that is down to his demeanour,” Modric said. “He is one of the greatest managers in football. When he returned to the club it made us all happy.”
Even if it meant leaving his favoured Crosby beach behind.