PARIS, May 29: One is a chest-beating, arm-waving, emotionally fuelled leader whose team’s high-energy style is in his own image.
The other is unruffled, unflappable, so nonchalant he almost appears uncaring, transmitting calm all around him with his seen-it-all-done-it-all approach.
In some ways, Jurgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti are polar opposites as football coaches. What unites them is an ability to use their own inimitable style to win the game’s biggest trophies.
It’s yet another reason why Saturday’s Champions League final between Klopp’s Liverpool and Ancelotti’s Real Madrid is so intriguing. Put simply, neither club would want to be led into club football’s biggest match by anyone else.
Klopp seemingly was made to be Liverpool’s manager. He’s the modern-day Bill Shankly, the club’s legendary coach and man of the people from the 1960s and early ’70s who set the Reds on the road to becoming a giant of Europe.
Liverpool loves Klopp and Klopp loves Liverpool, so much so he recently signed a new contract keeping him at Anfield until 2026, which would take him beyond a decade at the club. No manager has been at Liverpool that long since … Shankly.
Ancelotti has re-established his reputation as one of the world’s top coaches this season, becoming the first to win titles in Europe’s five major leagues while also guiding Madrid past a trio of heavyweights in PSG, Chelsea and then Manchester City in the Champions League knockout stages to reach the final. (AP)
