Thomas Tuchel vs Carlo Ancelotti: Head-to-Head Record | Tactics | Stats

A much-anticipated match between the reigning European champions, Chelsea and 13 times winners, Real Madrid, will take centre stage on Wednesday night at Stamford Bridge. 

On this occasion, we compare the two elite managers, Carlo Ancelotti and Thomas Tuchel, their head to head stats, philosophy and tactics for their respective clubs.

Thomas Tuchel vs Carlo Ancelotti:

It has already been a year since Thomas Tuchel was appointed by Chelsea and inspired them to unprecedented glories; his appointment changed the fortunes of Chelsea when they were struggling under Frank Lampard. 

After that, the former PSG manager took no time revamping the Blues and reclaiming their lost status in Europe. 

Don Carlo, the name itself is enough to tell how successful he has been as a manager in football. 

In 2021 he was appointed Real Madrid’s manager for the second time, while his first appointment came in 2013 as he guided Real Madrid to La Decima in his first season as Los Blancos manager. 

Ancelotti’s trophy haul is massive, and its a shame we don’t compare him with Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho or Alex Ferguson, among other legendary managers. 

Carlo Ancelotti has built a great reputation in Europe, and Thomas Tuchel is also on the same line after winning his maiden Champions League trophy last season. 

Thomas Tuchel is now one of those attractive managers in Europe, and many clubs are looking to secure his service after what he has done with Chelsea in just a year. 

Although when it comes to a Head-to-head meeting between both the pairs, Tuchel edge past Carlo Ancelotti with a narrow win. 

The pairs had met each other seven times when Carlo Ancelotti was in charge of Bayern Munich and Thomas Tuchel Borussia Dortmund; they also met in the Champions League as Ancelotti’s Napoli faced Tuchel’s PSG in the competition. 

And in all these meetings, Tuchel surprisingly holds a better record in this head-to-head. 

Thomas Tuchel vs Carlo Ancelotti: Head to Head Record

Thomas Tuchel vs Carlo Ancelotti: System of Play and Tactics

Carlo Ancelotti has always been flexible with his system of play at whichever clubs he has managed before.  

During his second stint at Real Madrid, the Italian has slowly found a system that he executed successfully where his players could show their creativity and co-exist under his management. 

Don Carlo has enjoyed many fruitful results with whichever teams he's managed. His formation has always been based on a creative style of play and possession-based, where he examined 4–3–1–2, 4–1–2–1–2 or 4–4–2 diamond formation.

His system of play always eked out positive results for Real Madrid, but sometimes he has faced backlash for his tactics, but overall his management has always provided excellent outcomes. 

While Tuchel has used different methods in his tactics, he has been a fan of gegenpressing, a tactic when players lose the ball and then immediately attempt to win it back rather than regrouping. Chelsea’s boss favoured a 4-3-2-1 line-up in his time. 

He wanted his players to force overloads in space out wide, while the latter looked to create overloads in small spaces between the opposition line. 

But in Chelsea, he preferred a 3-4-2-1 system and made 39 changes and rose Chelsea through the ranks. 

Both the acumens have been familiar with each other, and their goal has consistently been winning matches and trophies. 

So, which manager do you think will come out on top on Wednesday night? Will Carlo Ancelotti exact revenge on Thomas Tuchel for Real Madrid's semi-final exit last season at the hands of Chelsea?