Carlo Ancelotti hails "extraordinary" Antonio Conte

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 03 January 2017

Carlo Ancelotti admits that Chelsea and Real Madrid have recruited well since he departed the clubs, heaping praise on both Antonio Conte and Zinedine Zidane.

Carlo Ancelotti has claimed that former club Chelsea are in good hands thanks to the "extraordinary" work being achieved by Antonio Conte at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues currently lead the way in the Premier League with half of the season now played, sitting five points clear of Liverpool and boasting a game in hand on their closest challengers.

Conte has guided his side to a 13-game winning run in the top flight, now just one short of Arsenal's all-time record, which Ancelotti - manager in West London between 2009-11 - believes is down to his compatriot's improved maturity.

"What Conte is doing at Chelsea is extraordinary," he told Gazzetta dello Sport. "Antonio has determination, ideas, personality and experience. He's mature as a coach now and I'm truly happy for him."

Ancelotti left Chelsea for Paris Saint-Germain, before taking over at Real Madrid in 2013 and becoming the man to lift La Decima - the much-coveted 10th European crown - but he is also confident that another of his former sides have since recruited well.

"[Zinedine] Zidane has won the World Club Cup after winning the Champions League, and there were people who thought he was not a coach," he added. "The truth is Conte and Zidane had quality on the field and they've taken that into their new jobs with them."

Ancelotti, now in charge of Bayern Munich, is the only manager to have won the Champions League three times.