Ancelotti vs Guardiola – Who Is More Successful Manager?
Ancelotti vs Guardiola: There have been many thrilling manager-player duels in the UEFA Champions League’s history, but few have the pedigree of the two managers facing off in the semifinal. You can be sure that at least one of these names would come up in any discussion on the best manager of all time.
Josep Guardiola, who has won the Champions League twice as a manager and is widely regarded as the best manager to ever live, is seated in the blue corner. Carlo Ancelotti, the competition’s three-time winner, and silent genius is seated in the white corner.
Both coaches have a distinct style of play; whilst Pep favors moving the ball around, Ancelotti has found success in counterattacks. Let’s dive into a detailed comparison today between Guardiola and Ancelotti in this article.
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Comparison Chart
| Ancelotti | Guardiola | |
| Full name | Carlo Ancelotti | Josep Guardiola Sala |
| Date of birth | 10 June 1959 | 18 January 1971 |
| Place of birth | Reggiolo, Italy | Santpedor, Catalonia, Spain |
| Position(s) | Midfielder | Defensive midfielder |
| Current team | Real Madrid (manager) | Manchester City (manager) |
Guardiola vs Ancelotti
Ancelotti
Former player and current manager of Real Madrid of La Liga, Carlo Ancelotti Cavaliere OMRI, Ufficiale OSI is an Italian. He is regarded as one of the best managers of all time and is the most successful manager in the history of the UEFA Champions League after winning the trophy a record four times as a coach.
He is also the first and only coach to have guided clubs to five Champions League finals. After winning it twice with AC Milan as a player, he was one of just seven people to have won the European Cup or Champions League both as a player and a manager.
He is the first and only manager in history to have captured league titles in each of the top five leagues in Europe. He has twice won the FIFA Club World Cup, and he is the manager with the most UEFA Super Cup victories, having taken home the title four times while leading Real Madrid and Milan.
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Guardiola
Josep “Pep” Guardiola Sala is the current manager of the Premier League team Manchester City and a former professional football player from Spain. He is regarded as one of the best managers of all time and holds the records for the most league games won in a row in the Bundesliga, the Premier League, and La Liga.
The Manchester City manager was a defensive midfielder who typically operated as a playmaker from a deep position. He played for Barcelona for the entirety of his career, playing in Johan Cruyff’s Dream Team that captured the club’s first European Cup in 1992 as well as four straight Spanish league titles from 1991 to 1994.
From 1997 until his retirement from the club in 2001, he served as the team’s captain. In the following years, he spent time with Brescia, Roma, Al-Ahli, and Dorados de Sinaloa in Italy, Qatar, and Mexico, respectively. He played at the FIFA World Cup in 1994 and the UEFA Euro 2000 for Spain, earning 47 caps for his country. He also participated in friendlies for Catalonia.
Ancelotti vs Guardiola trophies
Guardiola
- The treble of La Liga, UEFA Champions League, and the Copa del Rey – 2008
- The Catalan Parliament’s Gold Medal – 2011
- FIFA World Coach of the Year – 2011
- 3 x Bundesliga
- 4 x Premier League titles
- 4x EFL Cups
- FA Cup
Ancelotti
- 2002–03 Champions League and 2002–03 Coppa Italia – 2001
- The Scudetto – 2002
- Champions League with Milan – 2005
- 2 x Serie A Coach of the Year – 2005
- Domestic double of the Premier League and FA Cup – 2009
- Ligue 1 – 2012
- Champions League with Real Madrid
- Copa del Rey
- Miguel Muñoz Trophy in 2014–15 in La Liga
- Bundesliga – 2016
- La Liga–Champions League double – 2021
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Carlo Ancelotti vs Pep Guardiola head to head
- Overall H2H Stats
| Pep Guardiola | Stats | Carlo Ancelotti |
| 7 | Matches | 7 |
| 5 | Wins | 2 |
| 0 | Draws | 0 |
| 2 | Losses | 5 |
The Spanish manager has an advantage in their overall head-to-head record. With five victories and two defeats in their seven meetings, Pep Guardiola unquestionably holds an advantage over the Real Madrid manager, who though, has just two victories over Spanish managers.
- Champions League Head-to-Head record
| Pep Guardiola | Stats | Carlo Ancelotti |
| 3 | Matches | 3 |
| 1 | Wins | 2 |
| 0 | Draws | 0 |
| 2 | Losses | 1 |
In order to win Real Madrid’s tenth Champions League championship in 2014, Carlo destroyed a certain Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich 5-0 over the course of two legs.
Both managers were previously in charge of Bayern Munich, where they enjoyed high levels of success but failed to win the coveted Champions League trophy for the Bavarian team.
The Manchester City manager won 124, drew 16, and lost 21 of his 161 games with Bayern Munich in all competitions, giving him a 77% win percentage compared to the Real Marid manager’s just 60 games with the German team.
The Italian had a 72% victory rate after winning 43, drawing 8, and losing 9 of the 60 games. However, he has won the league championship in four of the top five leagues in Europe, and his Real Madrid team is on pace to capture the Grand Slam this season with a 17-point lead at the top.
Pep, on the other hand, has managed in Spain, Germany, and England, all of which have produced a league champion. The amount of Champions League semi-final appearances is another record the two managers have been vying for throughout the years.
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Conclusion
Although the two managers have had different levels of success, it is clear that both have a lot to offer. The Italian manager has won more trophies, but the Spain counterpart’s footballing philosophy is highly respected. Who do you think is more successful – Ancelotti or Guardiola?
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