Monaco coach, Filipe Luis, expressed great respect for his friend and opponent Davide Ancelotti, coach of Lille, in view of the match to be held on Sunday at 3pm. During the press conference, Luis recalled the friendship that has bound them for many years, underlining the qualities of the Italian coach and warning his team about the importance of giving their all.
Filipe Luis spoke about his personal relationship with Ancelotti, which began when the two were in Brazil. Both worked in Rio de Janeiro: Luis at Flamengo and Ancelotti at Botafogo. “We lived with Davide in the same period in Rio de Janeiro, when he worked at Botafogo,” recalled the Monaco coach. The bond was also born in the past, when Ancelotti was part of the staff of Real Madrid, where Luis was a player. "I met him several times when I was a player and he was assistant coach at Real Madrid. Subsequently we also met as coaches," he added.
In addition to the professional contact, the two have maintained a personal relationship. Luis said he shared a dinner with Ancelotti and continued to speak regularly. “We stayed in touch, we talked a lot and we even went to dinner together,” said the Brazilian coach. Luis' esteem is not limited to the results obtained by Ancelotti, but above all concerns his football philosophy. "I really appreciate his ideas, his vision of football and his way of understanding the players. It's a huge pleasure, because he's a fantastic person," he said.
Regarding the match, Luis warned his team that the match will be a high-level challenge. “It will definitely be a high-level challenge and we will have to have our best performance of the season to win, because they are very strong,” he said. He concluded by stating that it will be a pleasure to face his friend Ancelotti in tomorrow's match, underlining the importance of giving your best to achieve a victory against the Dogues.