If awards were given for dignity, then Carlo Ancelotti would be the runaway winner. No question.
In both defeat and victory, the Italian has the same demeanour. It was impossible to miss his victory celebration at Old Trafford because, by the standards set by Jose Mourinho and others, there was no charge down the touchline when his Chelsea team secured what could be a defining victory in the Premier League title.
No. Ancelotti contented himself with a joyous clenching of both fists and then shook hands with Sir Alex Ferguson.
Unlike Mourinho at Old Trafford on that famous occasion when he was in charge at Porto, his trousers will not need a visit to the dry cleaners after a slide down the touchline.
Like his team, Ancelotti has more than a touch of class. He has been there, seen it and done it. A defeat at home to Inter Milan in the Champions League supposedly exposed his naivety - not an affliction common among Italian coaches it has to be said.
Quite simply, Chelsea were beaten by a better side and Ancelotti knew it. But no panic. No threats. No talk of UEFA subversion, even though his team may well have been awarded two penalties.
Ancelotti just went about re-grouping his men and switching the focus to the prizes still on offer. The response has been staggering. The thoroughly deserved win against Manchester United was the culmination of emphatic wins over Portsmouth and Aston Villa. Clearly Ancelotti has the respect of his players because a deflated, disenchanted and disillusioned team do not put seven past Villa.
But there was no triumphalism about his demeanour after the win at United. Just a clam assessment of the win and the acknowledgement that tough battles lay ahead before there can be an talk of championships.
He did stray into the realms of stating the obvious when he noted United are not the same team without Wayne Rooney, but that is hardly in controversy territory.
Let's get it right - Ancelotti is no robot. But he is an ultra-professional and a clear thinker and he has started to make jokes in English rather than use sarcastic asides like one of his predecessors. He also has the track record of being a winner in Serie A and in the Champions League.
He keeps a calm, assured perspective. He treats victory and defeat in the same manner - Rudyard Kipling, who called those eventualities "imposters", would have loved Carlo Ancelotti.
A proven winner and a gentleman. There are many who might like to take note of that.
In both defeat and victory, the Italian has the same demeanour. It was impossible to miss his victory celebration at Old Trafford because, by the standards set by Jose Mourinho and others, there was no charge down the touchline when his Chelsea team secured what could be a defining victory in the Premier League title.
No. Ancelotti contented himself with a joyous clenching of both fists and then shook hands with Sir Alex Ferguson.
Unlike Mourinho at Old Trafford on that famous occasion when he was in charge at Porto, his trousers will not need a visit to the dry cleaners after a slide down the touchline.
Like his team, Ancelotti has more than a touch of class. He has been there, seen it and done it. A defeat at home to Inter Milan in the Champions League supposedly exposed his naivety - not an affliction common among Italian coaches it has to be said.
Quite simply, Chelsea were beaten by a better side and Ancelotti knew it. But no panic. No threats. No talk of UEFA subversion, even though his team may well have been awarded two penalties.
Ancelotti just went about re-grouping his men and switching the focus to the prizes still on offer. The response has been staggering. The thoroughly deserved win against Manchester United was the culmination of emphatic wins over Portsmouth and Aston Villa. Clearly Ancelotti has the respect of his players because a deflated, disenchanted and disillusioned team do not put seven past Villa.
But there was no triumphalism about his demeanour after the win at United. Just a clam assessment of the win and the acknowledgement that tough battles lay ahead before there can be an talk of championships.
He did stray into the realms of stating the obvious when he noted United are not the same team without Wayne Rooney, but that is hardly in controversy territory.
Let's get it right - Ancelotti is no robot. But he is an ultra-professional and a clear thinker and he has started to make jokes in English rather than use sarcastic asides like one of his predecessors. He also has the track record of being a winner in Serie A and in the Champions League.
He keeps a calm, assured perspective. He treats victory and defeat in the same manner - Rudyard Kipling, who called those eventualities "imposters", would have loved Carlo Ancelotti.
A proven winner and a gentleman. There are many who might like to take note of that.
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