Ancelotti on English football's DNA

(From Quiet Leadership, by Carlo Ancelotti):

"In England there is much more aggression and less obsession with possession. English teams and players have a strong fighting mentality.

If I had to go to war, I would go with the English, not with the Italians or the French. It is absolutely essential to understand the culture, which is macho like the South Americans, but in a quiet, understated way.

Didier Drogba, for example, did not understand, when he first joined Chelsea and was guilty of simulation and exaggerating injuries on the pitch, that a big man simulating injury is not seen as manly in England - it goes against the notion of fair play, and this is a cultural thing.

It is different in Spain. John Terry spoke with him and he changed, going on to score lots of goals and become a club legend. Sometimes it is better for this conversation to come from the dressing room leader and not the boss.

That player can become de facto manager for this moment, in the sense that it's more effective when such advice comes from his teammates, peer to peer."