With Everton currently seventh in the Premier League and just three points outside the top four, Carlo Ancelotti’s stock is back on the rise.
The Italian manager has proved to be an excellent appointment for the Blues, with his tactical nous and desire to win a significant improvement on his predecessors.
Everton have very much benefitted since his arrival, but the move has also worked out well for the veteran boss, whose image was pretty low after his sacking at Napoli.
Things simply didn’t work out for Ancelotti in Naples, and his departure only provided further evidence for those who believed he was past his best.
That’s something he’s proven was incorrect in his year and a bit at Everton, a fact that hasn’t gone unnoticed back at Napoli, where things are not so rosy under his replacement Gennaro Gattuso.
“When I defended Ancelotti last year and wanted him to stay, everyone took me for a fool, they slaughtered me,” he told Radio Kiss Kiss Napoli, relayed by Mondo Napoli.
“In Naples, you win with him, not with Gattuso, who I respect a lot anyway. Everyone wanted Ancelotti gone and wanted Gattuso; now the same thing is happening.”
It now remains to be seen if Ancelotti can continue to prove a point to his former employers with Everton in future.
The Blues are well placed to finish in the top six this season, potentially the top four if they can go on a good run, which would represent an excellent first full season in charge for him.
If they can finish strongly, and high up the table, there will undoubtedly be more journalists like De Maggio insisting they were right on the Italian boss all along.
