“?Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery has taken what could be interpreted as a thinly veiled swipe at former boss Pep Guardiola after revealing that he already feels much more trusted under the management of Carlo Ancelotti.
“Under Ancelotti, I feel a lot more trusted, he’s a great coach,” Ribery explained to Kicker.
“I need someone like him, Jupp Heynckes or Ottmar Hitzfeld,” the Frenchman added.
Ribery was voted third best player in the year for 2013 after Jupp Heynckes had led Bayern to an unprecedented Bundesliga, DFB Pokal and Champions League treble.
He previously worked under Bayern legend Hitzfeld in Bavaria as well, but appears to have felt that something was lacking during three years under Guardiola, now at Manchester City.
Ribery has suffered heavily restrictive injury problems in recent seasons. Yet, even when fit, it seems that he thought Guardiola didn’t trust him enough, something that is now immediately different with Ancelotti in charge.
“I feel free, fully motivated,” Ribery said, also describing the Italian’s arrival as “a gift for the club”.
He further commented, “With Ancelotti we can do great things.”
Ribery is entering his 10th season as a Bayern player following a 2007 move from Marseille having impressed the World Cup the previous summer. He’s played more than 300 times for the club since and even has a respectable goal return of nearly one in three.
Competition for places will be fierce in the coming months as Bayern look to extend their recent German dominance to Europe for the first time since Ribery and co. in 2013, before Guardiola.
In Ancelotti, they have a coach with three Champions League titles already to his name.
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