Ancelotti: Even the rich have to wait for glory
Reuters - Monday 21 May 2012, 11:38
Paris Saint-Germain's wealthy Qatari
owners have discovered that building success can often be a slow
process after failing to clinch a coveted Ligue 1 title despite
operating with a budget more than four times bigger than their
rivals.
PSG finished the French season in second place on Sunday,
three points behind unheralded Montpellier who had a 33 million
euro budget - tiny compared to the Parisians'
140 million outlay.
That budget will increase to 200 million euros next season,
but for coach Carlo Ancelotti - who guided big-spending Chelsea
to an FA Cup and Premier League double in 2010 - time, not more
money, is the key ingredient for success.
"There were a lot of changes, players and coach. It is not
easy to shape a team's identity," the Italian told a news
conference on Monday.
"We must look for continuity. There will be no revolution,"
added Ancelotti, who took over from Antoine Kombouare last
December when PSG were top of the table.
"Montpellier won the title thanks to a style of football
they had been building for years."
Ancelotti's style shaping has already begun and he managed
to turn Nene, Jeremy Menez and Javier Pastore into a lethal
attacking unit rather than a trio of individuals.
The team still needs a striker with a killer instinct but
Ancelotti said there will be far fewer arrivals in this close
season compared to last.
"We still have time to talk about it, to find the right
solution," he said. "Ideally we would need three players: a
defender, a midfielder and a striker."
PSG president Nasser El Khelaifi, who took control of the
club last year with Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), said
previously they would spend around 100 million euros on
transfers before next season.
Ancelotti said he plans to use that money on "players with
international experience and a personality".
Rumours in local media have linked PSG with the Real Madrid
duo Gonzalo Higuain and Kaka but the Italian, who worked with
Kaka when winning the 2007 Champions League with AC Milan, would
not be drawn into speculation.
"The names are not important but we need players who will
fit into the team, technically and tactically," he said, also
hinting strikers Guillaume Hoarau and Kevin Gameiro would stay
at the club despite spending much of their time under Ancelotti
on the bench.
"He [Gameiro] lost a bit of his confidence in the second
part of the season but, like Hoarau, he can bring something to
the team," said Ancelotti.