Why did Carlo Ancelotti join Bayern Munich?

Before Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen took the field at the Allianz Arena on Friday, Fox Soccer aired an interview featuring Grant Wahl interviewing Carlo Ancelotti. The interview took place during Bayern’s Audi Summer Tour in the United States.

Also featured in the piece are Xabi Alonso, Arturo Vidal, and Paul Breitner.

(Here is the transcription for those unable to watch the video.)

Xabi Alonso: “Carlo is a football man. He’s been a great player. He’s been a great manager in so many countries in so many great clubs.”

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Arturo Vidal: “I believe he will have a great input to this team, and we hope to win everything with him.”

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Paul Breitner: “He’s an Italian, and the Italians were born for not losing.”

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Grant Wahl: “Very simple question: Why did you want to be the manager at Bayern Munich?”

Carlo Ancelotti: “Why... Because, Bayern Munich are one of the best teams in the world... best history, best tradition, best coaching. Also, it’s a new challenge there. A new country for me. New language, that is not so easy. Really exciting experience at the beginning.”

Wahl: “When you start at a new club like this one, what are the most important things for you to do in the first two months on the job?”

Ancelotti: “I want to build a good relationship with all the people that work with the club. I focus on that. To build a good relationship. To build a good team spirit. Spirit is, I think, the most important word in football.”

Wahl: “You’ve coached at big clubs in many countries now — Italy, Spain, England — Now, you’re in Germany for the first time. How is the culture different. What are you expecting.”

Ancelotti: “When you speak about football twenty years ago, there was clear Italian styles, clear English styles, clear Spanish styles. Now, the managers move around the world. There are Italian managers in England, in Germany, and so it’s more difficult now to have a clear style.”

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Wahl: “What do you expect from Carlo Ancelotti’s team? Will it play differently?”

Breitner: “No. Never. Would you?”

Wahl: “I wouldn’t change much.”

Breitner: “I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t change much! I’m sure he will say, ‘Hey, guys, you’re a great team. You are the best squad in the world, and you demonstrate it with this outstanding football. Let’s do it again.”

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Wahl: “In the year 2016, what are the biggest challenges of managing at the highest level in this sport?”

Ancelotti: “I think 2016 is almost finished [laughter], so we are focused on 2017. 2017 is to be competitive until the end. Our goal is there, at the end of may, to compete in all of the competitions.”