Carlo Ancelotti starts work on “Kaká-therapy”

The Italian coach is keen to get the Brazilian back to his best and showed it in training where he devoted extra time to the midfielder.

Ancelotti got straight to work yesterday on what he knows is one of his tougher projects: getting Kaká back to his best. During yesterday’s training session he devoted special attention to his Brazilian star: talking to him, smiling, laughing, joking, a hand on the shoulder... The Italian has started his ‘Kaká-therapy’ with the footballer who triumphed under him six years ago in Milan (Ballon d’Or and Champions in 2007). Now, he’s keen to keep him at Madrid and get him back to form; making him once again the the decisive, marvellous player he was in Italy.

The two trust each other and Ancelotti has already told Kaká that it is entirely up to him and his performances in training and matches whether he stays at the club or not. In his opening press conference he said that he was going to give him a chance: “I know him very, very well. We’ll work together to bring out his best”. Zidane also took the Brazilian aside for a chat yesterday.

Kaká for his part has taken Ancelotti’s words to heart and doesn’t want to let him down. He feels he has a new challenge and he wants to come out victorious – he has the support of his coach and his teammates and he’s determined not to fail. He has admitted that over the ultimate months of the Mou reign he felt ignored. With Ancelotti he has his last chance to board the train to glory: to become a regular in the Madrid first team and back in the Brazil side for the World Cup next summer.

In the last four seasons he has played 33% of the available minutes and scored 31 goals.