Ancelotti on management: The most important thing is interpersonal relationships

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has rebelled on occasion this season at the idea he is ‘simply a man manager’, and implicitly less well versed tactically than his peers. That idea continues to be proven wrong, but Ancelotti did highlight that man-management was the most important part of his job in the build up to the Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund.

“I believe that a fundamental aspect of our life is the interpersonal relationship. It is the most important thing, always based on respect for the person. It is what I want to do because I feel good doing this. I hope that the players and the people who work with me understand this. The interpersonal relationship is more important than the professional one.”

“I’m not a psychologist, but I have a lot of experience in dressing rooms. The relatoionships are the most important things. I try to speak to people with respect, not only about sports, but also about personal life.We are in an environment with 50 people, I spend more time with my players than with my wife or my kids, so if there is not a good working environment, we are not doing a good job.”