Ancelotti: "I would've jumped off a bridge if I was PSG boss!"
Former Paris Saint-Germain head coach Carlo Ancelotti was left stunned by the club's Champions League exit midweek.
Carlo Ancelotti said he would have jumped off a bridge if he was in charge of Paris Saint-Germain after their Champions League capitulation. PSG squandered a first-leg lead as the French champions were sensationally eliminated on away goals by Manchester United in a dramatic last-16 tie on Wednesday. Thomas Tuchel's PSG led 2-0 following the trip to Old Trafford but were beaten 3-1 in Paris, where Marcus Rashford's controversial 94th-minute penalty sent the Ligue 1 giants out.
Asked about PSG's exit, Napoli head coach Ancelotti – who led the capital club to Ligue 1 glory in 2012-13 – was stunned following his team's Europa League victory. "It was incredible," Italian boss Ancelotti said via Sky Sport Italia. "Incredible... If I had been on the PSG bench, I don't know what I would've done. Probably find the closest bridge and jump off it!"
Ancelotti was speaking after Napoli accounted for Red Bull Salzburg 3-0 in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 on Thursday. Arkadiusz Milik, Fabián Ruiz and a Jerome Onguene own goal put Napoli in complete control, though centre-back duo Kalidou Koulibaly and Nikola Maksimovic will miss the return fixture through suspension.
"I am not worried about their absence, as we have reliable centre-backs, but I was more concerned by the lack of balance in the final stages," Ancelotti said. "It's a good result, there are still 90 minutes to play and we cannot make calculations. We did some things well, some not so well, and we've got to work on those. We allowed some dangerous counter-attacks and through runs that at 3-0 we really could've avoided. We can be impenetrable when we defend well, but we get too exuberant and try to push forward. Salzburg have proved they've got great pace and stamina, so we need to be on alert. We need to score at least a goal in the second leg, otherwise we'll run risks."