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‘Serie A gave us an experience which is difficult to find in other countries’ – Ancelotti

‘Serie A gave us an experience which is difficult to find in other countries’ – Ancelotti

Bayern Munich manager Carlo Ancelotti believes Serie A does an excellent job at preparing coaches for the rigours they face in both foreign and continental leagues.

The 2016-17 campaign has been a strong one for Italian coaches, as Ancelotti and Chelsea boss Antonio Conte have won the Bundesliga and Premier League, respectively. In addition, Massimiliano Allegri is on the verge on another Serie A crown with Juventus and also has a chance to win the Champions League when his side faces Real Madrid on June 3, while Conte can add the FA Cup to his trophy cabinet with a victory over local rivals Arsenal on May 27.

Ancelotti himself has not managed in Serie A since 2009, but won a Premier League crown with Chelsea, a Ligue 1 title with PSG, and a Champions League title with Real Madrid since, in addition to a league crown and two Champions League triumphs with Milan during his time there. 

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And the Bayern boss attributes some of  the success he and his compatriots have had to the variety of tactics and situations they have all faced as managers in Italy’s top league.

"I think it's a good moment for Italian coaches,” Ancelotti said. “The Italian championship gave us an experience, which is difficult to find in other countries, because in the Italian league there are a lot of systems you have to play against.

“There are a lot of shapes, which gives you a lot of knowledge about tactics and about the little details. That's my personal opinion.”

Ancelotti’s first season with Bayern did result in a Bundesliga title – the club’s fifth consecutive league triumph – though it fell short in the Champions League quarter-finals and the DFB-Pokal semi-finals.

Despite that, Ancelotti enjoyed his first season in Germany complimenting the country and the fans for the warm environment created.

"The best part of the work in Germany is the atmosphere,” Ancelotti said. “Apart from the accident in Berlin everyone was excited after the game, the atmosphere was fantastic.

“All the opponent fans respect you, there is no violence. This is different from all the other countries.

“We know what's happening in Italy, in Spain… We can compare the atmosphere here in the Bundesliga to the Premier League.

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“There is no police around the stadium apart from that what unfortunately happened to the bus of Borussia Dortmund. The fact all the stadiums are full, the people really like football here."

Ancelotti and Bayern Munich close out their campaign against Freiburg on Saturday, a match which will see the retirements of Philipp Lahm and Xabi Alonso.