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Davide Ancelotti is working to establish his own managerial reputation at French club Lille after spending years assisting his decorated father, Carlo Ancelotti. While Lille have enjoyed an encouraging domestic start in Ligue 1, their form in European competition has proven far more challenging, as reported by Get French Football News.
A Friendly Touchline Rivalry
The young coach recently faced Monaco manager Filipe Luís in a 1-1 draw on Sunday. The two head coaches previously developed a friendly relationship in Brazil while leading rival Rio de Janeiro clubs, Flamengo and Botafogo. Ahead of their Ligue 1 clash, Luís described Ancelotti as a “really formidable person” and expressed excitement about competing against him, stating, “It is something special for us. It will be a pleasure to face my friend.”
Luís, who enjoyed a distinguished playing career at Chelsea and Atlético Madrid before guiding Flamengo to a Copa Libertadores title, was among 12 new managerial appointments in Ligue 1 over the summer. Monaco forward Matthis Abline praised the impact of Luís, noting, “He knows what he’s talking about and how to motivate us,” adding that “It motivates us even more to have a manager like him behind us.”
Stepping Out of a Famous Shadow
Ancelotti’s path into head coaching follows 14 years working alongside his father across major European clubs, including Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Napoli, and Paris Saint-Germain, as well as the Brazil national team. He also previously completed a 33-game stint as manager at Botafogo. Prior to Lille’s European campaign, Ancelotti stated, “I hope to be able to write my story, with my first name, too,” seeking to build a career distinct from his father, who holds the record for the most Champions League titles and match victories.
Lille president Olivier Létang appointed Ancelotti this summer to replace Bruno Génésio, despite Génésio achieving the club’s goal of Champions League qualification. Létang described the departure as “was the right moment” for a change. Létang was already acquainted with Ancelotti from their time at Paris Saint-Germain in 2012, when Létang served as director of football and Ancelotti worked as a fitness coach under his father.
Domestic Form vs European Struggles
Lille’s performance under Ancelotti presents a contrasting picture. In the Champions League, the club has lost all three of its matches, leaving them second from the bottom in the 36-team table. Conversely, their domestic campaign has yielded 15 points from eight games, placing them just one point behind Ligue 1 leaders Rennes. This represents Lille’s strongest start to a league season since their title-winning 2020-21 campaign.
In Sunday’s match against Monaco, Ethan Mbappé gave Lille an early lead on their only clear chance of the first half. However, Lille retreated into a defensive shape, particularly after Tanguy Nianzou was sent off following a challenge on Paris Brunner. Ancelotti opted to substitute forward Soriba Diaoune for defender Isaac Cossier. Monaco capitalized on the sustained pressure, equalizing through Edan Diop with 15 minutes remaining. Following the final whistle, Ancelotti praised his squad’s “solidarity.”
Fixture Disruptions and Broadcast Rights
The matchday weekend across French football saw widespread schedule adjustments. A fixture between Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon was postponed to Monday due to police resources being allocated to protests in Paris and an NFL event in the capital. The postponement means several of PSG’s nine Ballon d’Or nominees will be unable to attend the ceremony in London.
Additional schedule changes affected several other matches across the top two divisions. Toulouse played Troyes on Sunday instead of Saturday, while Ligue 2 side Montpellier had their game against Red Star moved to Monday. Additionally, Saint-Étienne delayed their kickoff against Nantes by 45 minutes following directives from local police.
Off the pitch, French football officials are preparing to launch a new auction for Ligue 1 broadcasting rights. French league president Vincent Labrune announced that the bidding process will begin next month and conclude in December. Following DAZN’s exit after one season in 2024 and the launch of the league-owned Ligue 1+ service, new regulations will allow the domestic rights for next season to be auctioned as a single exclusive package, with Labrune confirming registered concrete interest from multiple parties.
