Carlo Ancelotti believes Andrea Pirlo needs time to come good as Juventus manager.
Ancelotti has also reserved words of praise for current AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli for his ‘clear ideas’.
Ancelotti who left Napoli in December 2019 and the current Everton coach, who has a past at both Juventus and Milan, spoke to La Gazzetta dello Sport ahead of Wednesday’s big match in Serie A Week 16.
The two giants clash at San Siro on Wednesday, when Stefano Pioli looks to build on their advantage and Andrea Pirlo’s men arrive in Milan to cut the gap.
“He [Pioli] is working very well,” Ancelotti told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “Milan have a clear idea of their play.
“The absence of [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic was an exam and was passed with flying colours. The group responded on the pitch and believed in their coach.“Pirlo doesn’t have a magic wand, but he won 3-0 in Barcelona and qualified for the round of 16 [in the Champions League]: everyone didn’t succeed in doing that.”
The former Milan and Juventus coach highlighted the Rossoneri’s ‘opportunity to extend their run’ and the Old Lady’s chance to strengthen ‘their recovery’ on Wednesday.
“Milan have the opportunity to extend their run, Juventus can continue their recovery,” he added.
“Milan have shown that they don’t depend on Ibrahimovic, Juventus have shown signs of consolidation.”
Ancelotti claimed it’s a ‘three-horse race’ for the Scudetto but pointed out that it would be wrong to completely rule out Napoli and Roma.
“It’s a three-horse race with Milan, Inter and Juventus. However, Napoli have the resources to get involved and Roma seem solid.”
Inter are out of the European Cups and could focus entirely on their domestic affairs, and Ancelotti pointed at coach Antonio Conte’s experience in the title race.
“The real strength of Inter, in addition to quality players like [Romelu] Lukaku, is the coach. He is used to fighting for the big trophies. Conte has won championships in Italy and England.”
