Carletto's Way: Why oft-criticized Ancelotti will come good at Bayern

Not much ever happens in Carlo Ancelotti's technical area. He often keeps his emotions harnessed. He never raises his arms or shouts furiously like his predecessor, Pep Guardiola, or his counterpart on Tuesday night, Diego Simeone.

The Bayern Munich manager takes a lot of flak for it. People love watching managers go crazy on the sidelines almost as much as the game itself.

Not with this well-travelled Italian, even though it seems like he's less involved than Europe's acclaimed bench bosses.

But Tuesday's gritty 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid - an opponent he struggled to beat during his time in Spain - is further proof he knows what he's doing.

Related: Lewandowski stunner ruins Atletico's bid for group stage perfection

During a three-match winless streak in November, the criticism peaked. Ancelotti was accused of dropping Bayern's intensity, a hallmark of Guardiola's side, which took a hammering from the Spaniard even if the slightest thing went awry in training. The defeat to Rostov was so damning that talk of a potential midseason sacking emerged.

The comparisons to Pep won't stop anytime soon. The fact Ancelotti has already lost as many matches (3) as Guardiola did by the time he won his first Bundesliga title seems to indicate a drop-off.

Former Bayern winger Ze Roberto went as far as saying his former club "made a mistake" by appointing Ancelotti.

He cautioned, "But it's hard to find a coach on the same level as Pep Guardiola, or somebody who at least has a similar philosophy."

The past three matches tell a different story. Victories over Bayer Leverkusen, Mainz, and Atletico on Tuesday show Ancelotti as the manager he is: One who is able to adapt, keep his composure, and change.

Transitions take time. Ancelotti's game is more chameleonic in nature. He doesn't go from club to club preaching the same line of tactics. Everything requires a certain balance. Taking over a side that traditionally likes to dominate possession, the former AC Milan, Chelsea, PSG, and Real Madrid gaffer has expectations to manage.

And he has, to a certain extent. Bayern is still leading all clubs across Europe's top five leagues with 63.9 percent of possession per 90 minutes of play. On Tuesday, Carletto's side bossed Atletico with 70.6 percent of the ball. Although the four-time defending Bundesliga champion has surrendered first place in the league and in Champions League Group D, this club is still very much among the favourites in multiple competitions.

Look to the weekend for evidence of Ancelotti's virtues. He veered away from his usual 4-3-3 formation Friday against Mainz, instead recreating Guardiola's preferred 4-2-3-1 lineup.

Thomas Muller moved from the wing to fill the playmaker role behind Robert Lewandowski, with Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben occupying the flanks.

Bayern won 3-1.

"We haven't played like that for weeks. We were really good," said Robben. "We played using Thomas as a 10. That was the key to our success.

"Thomas tears open the spaces. We have a lot more movement, more surprises in our play, which is what had been lacking in the last few weeks."

After taking time to experiment with the talent at his disposal, Ancelotti listened to his players' wishes - something he's done wherever he's managed. The 57-year-old is more flexible and open to ideas than other tacticians, who are often hired for their philosophy and their innovation alone. Ancelotti would rather get in touch with the feelings of the group and do things as a collective.

Paolo Maldini wrote in Ancelotti's autobiography that "Carlo never wants to do anything on his own," and that during their many years together at Milan, Ancelotti produced the "highest quality of life" compared to his predecessors.

That doesn't necessarily mean a decline in ambition or discipline, even though it creates such an illusion. Winner of five Champions League titles as a player and manager, Ancelotti also led Chelsea to its first domestic double, and delivered Madrid's elusive La Decima. There's a willingness to adapt to whatever situation in which he finds himself. There's a democracy in place.

He can be innovative as well. Designating Lewandowski as the team's free-kick taker as of late has paid early dividends, the Polish striker scoring from set pieces twice over the past five days.

Besides, Ancelotti has won everywhere, and he's almost always left teams better than he found them. Just because he isn't as technical as Guardiola or as colourful as Simeone doesn't mean he isn't good enough.