OneFootball
Dan Burke·31 May 2020
OneFootball
Dan Burke·31 May 2020
Our countdown of the 20 greatest club teams of all-time continues.
In 7th place we have …
Carlo Ancelotti didn’t just oversee a glorious period of success in AC Milan’s illustrious history, he also had a transformative effect on the club’s fortunes.
The Rossoneri were languishing in mid-table and trophyless since 1999 when Ancelotti took over from Fatih Terim in November 2001.
But the former midfielder quickly rejuvenated the club and they finished 4th in Serie A at the end of his first season, thereby qualifying for the Champions League.
It proved to be hugely important as the following season they won the Coppa Italia and the Champions League, beating rivals Juventus on penalties in the final at Old Trafford.
Ancelotti’s formidable 4-1-2-1-2 formation made Milan the fiercest outfit in the entire continent for a period.
In Dida they had a brilliantly eccentric goalkeeper and the defensive quartet of Cafu, Alessandro Costacurta, Alessandro Nesta and Paolo Maldini formed a near impenetrable wall in front of the Brazilian’s goal.
Andrea Pirlo played as the deep-lying playmaker, with Rui Costa pulling the strings in the final third.
Ahead of him was a forward pairing of Andriy Shevchenko and Filippo Inzaghi, who scored a combined 301 goals between them for the club.
And if that weren’t enough, Kaká was added to the mix in the summer of 2003.
Milan won the Scudetto in 2004 with 82 points (a record at the time) and in 2005 they were back in the Champions League final again.
But despite being 3-0 up at half-time against Liverpool, they were the unfortunate recipients of one of the greatest comebacks in football history.
The following year they finished second behind Juventus in Serie A but their involvement in the Calciopoli scandal saw them start the next season on minus eight points.
Shevchenko’s departure also meant Ancelotti was forced to reboot his system and a 4-3-2-1 formation with Inzaghi as the lone front-man supported by Kaká and Clarence Seedorf proved hugely successful in Europe, and in 2007 they reached the Champions League final for the third time in four years.
Liverpool were again their opponents in Athens but this time, the Rossoneri avenged the pain of Istanbul with a 2-1 victory.
Ancelotti became the first manager to win the Champions League twice (to add to the two he won as a player) and in 2009, he said arriverderci Milano when he left to coach Chelsea.
Milan have sadly never been the same since, but what a team they had during those five wonderful years.