Former Everton and current Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti thinks there is ‘something wrong’ if the defenders and goalkeeper are the ones who are getting the majority of the touches, regardless of whether it works or not.

Speaking on The Obi One Podcast:

Modern football speaks about build up from the back. You build up from the back if you have a space to build up. If you have the quality of the defenders and all the goalkeeper. But when I see that a defender or goalkeeper are the players that touch much the ball than the other, I think that there is something wrong.

At Everton, we had a fantastic goalkeeper to (kick) the ball. (Jordan) Pickford was, long ball. Fantastic striker to catch the ball, (Dominic) Calvert-Lewin. Why, the defender, we are not so comfortable playing from the back. Why I have to play from the back? I have to give the ball to Pickford to put long ball for Calvert-Lewin, and to fight for the second ball. You have to adapt the style of play to the characteristics of the players.

Defending with the ball is one of the methods clubs use to kill a game, and I agree, it is unattractive. Ancelotti wants to attack immediately, which I appreciate because so do I, and he wins, which is the most important thing.

If you don’t win, no one cares. Hipsters care, but the laggards don’t.

All these clubs favor something that is safe, and usually boring, to win, but if you can find a method to win and be attractive, then you’ll be loved, and who doesn’t want to be universally loved?

Managers that are under tremendous pressure from the board and the fans don’t care if they are loved; I’m sure they want to win. If they win, they’ll be loved until they lose again.

The issue is that in football, the boring, predictable method where, if you close your eyes, you can perfectly predict what will happen is loved. Those managers are loved because they are consistent.

‘Forget being attractive; I don’t want heart palpitations every time I watch a match.’ That’s not how I feel, but everyone wants easy wins. ‘We spent all this money; I spent money on these tickets or the streaming package; score and then kill the game; stop entertaining me.’