(Reuters) - A 'winning culture' may be one of the most over used terms in modern football but Real Madrid and Carlo Ancelotti proved on Saturday, at Liverpool's expense, that there truly is meaning and value in the concept.
With the 1-0 win over Juergen Klopp's side, Ancelotti became the first coach to claim the Champions League four times, with his second victory as Real boss coming after two triumphs with AC Milan.
To reach the final, Real came through a knockout stage which first saw them up against a Paris St Germain side with Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe -- they came back from 2-0 down on aggregate to progress thanks to a Karim Benzema hat-trick. Ancelotti's success has been founded on strong and trusting relationships with his senior players -- from the days when Paolo Maldini organised his Milan defence to the current faith he shows in Benzema and Luka Modric to get Real over the line.
While Klopp boasted about his team being"mentality monsters" and never struggled to find superlatives to describe his players, Ancelotti, true to form, was much more understated.The Italian adopts the same approach on the touchline -- rarely showing emotion, trusting his players to follow his gameplan without the need for arm-waving and shouting.
Klopp's players adopted the latter approach and that meant they were forced to play at a slower tempo and with little of the aggressive, fast attacks down the flanks that has been their hallmark under the German. Although Courtois was forced into action on several occasions, there was never a hint of panic in the way Real defended, their self-belief and confidence in their abilities seeing them through to the final whistle.
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