Carlo Ancelotti can’t make it into PSG’s top three
The Real Madrid manager is fourth in L’Équipe’s list of PSG’s best coaches. Unai Emery is fifth.
Founded on 12 August 1970 by the merger of Paris Football Club and Stade Saint-Germanois, Paris Saint-Germain have a short history compared to the grandfathers of European football.
With a momentary period of glory in the 1990s and 2000s and the occasional star such as Raí, Anelka and Ronaldinho, the Parisian club is going through its best spell since their Qatari owners took over, dominating the French league and signing well on and off the pitch.
With four out of five belonging to this period, French outlet L’Équipe has compiled a list of the best coaches in Paris Saint-Germain’s history, including two current LaLiga coaches: Carlo Ancelotti and Unai Emery.
Ancelotti changes PSG culture
Carlo Ancelotti, who already knew what it was like to succeed in the dugout with AC Milan and even become a European champion, was the first to accept the offer of the new PSG project.
In Paris, they trusted in his ability to win titles and he did. They signed Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva, Marco Verratti, Lucas Moura, Pastore, Lavezzi and even David Beckham and Ancelotti managed to win the league in his second season, just before leaving.
In his first season the title slipped away by just two points to Montpellier, who had Giroud on fire, but in the second season, he was far more successful. They beat Marseille and Lyon by notable margins with Ibrahimovic as the top scorer (30 goals) and came close to upsetting Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals after a 2-2 draw and a 1-1 draw.
As the French press stress, the Italian changed much of the club’s culture by increasing the daily workload, controlling the players’ diets, and creating a department to measure the squad’s output. This legacy places him fourth in L’Équipe’s list. Luis Fernández (3), Thomas Tuchel (2) and Laurent Blanc (1) were chosen as the top of all-time.
Emery in top 5
Laurent Blanc, who tops the list, left and Unai Emery arrived. After a hugely successful Europa League stint with Sevilla, Emery made the leap to the Parisian giants. His good work in the European knockout rounds helped PSG get closer to the final rounds of the Champions League.
In his first season in Paris, Emery suffered a heavy defeat both in his career and for PSG. After a 4-0 win against Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, the Blaugrana pulled off a real miracle, coming from behind to win 6-1 at Camp Nou with Neymar in top form. The Brazilian shone and sparked his subsequent move in a saga that ended with the most expensive transfer in the history of football.
Emery won leagues and cups to make it four out of four in France and tops the list for the highest winning percentage at the club (76.31%).