Despite overseeing a 4-0 victory in the Champions League, to end a nine-match run without a win, Carlo Ancelotti was relieved from his post at the Napoli manager on Tuesday evening. The Italian has quickly emerged as the frontrunner for the vacant Arsenal manager position. Despite his title-winning experiences previously with Chelsea, a return to London via Arsenal would not be a move that suited either the manager or the club at this moment in time.
While Ancelotti is an outstanding communicator and speaks excellent English, something the Gunners are reportedly looking for after Unai Emery struggled to translate his messages across to the Arsenal players. The Italian has previously been cited as having a laid-back attitude and is very trusting of his players.
Allowing your players to motivate themselves may be an effective method for leaders such as John Terry, who was no doubt incredibly disciplined, that is not something which this Arsenal side have proven to be. Arsene Wenger was much of the same, lovingly putting an arm around the shoulder of players and backing them when they did not back him, which is part of the reason the Gunners find themselves in this predicament.
The Italian manager has also been labelled as a serial winner, but Arsenal only need to look at Manchester United’s appointment of Louis Van Gaal and Jose Mourinho to know that does not translate to Premier League success. Those managers have 15 top-flight league titles across Europe between them, seven for Van Gaal and eight for Mourinho. Though neither were able to steer the Red Devils to a Premier League title and if a domestic cup win was enough for Arsenal fans, then Wenger might still be in charge.
Instead of looking at what has worked in the past, by appointing a manager such as Ancelotti, Arsenal should be a club looking to the future. Forward-thinking is precisely what they did when they appointed Wenger, the most successful manager in their history. A left-field appointment may be just what they need to get their edge back.
