Mats Hummels has been impressed with the Italian defence during Euro 2016 so far.
Who can forget Giovanni Trapattoni's memorable outpouring of emotion as Bayern Munich coach in 1998?
"A trainer is not an idiot. Two or three players performed like empty bottles!"
With fellow Italian maestro Carlo Ancelotti ending his sabbatical to
take over from Pep Guardiola at Bayern on July 1, the day before a
mouth-watering Euro 2016 quarterfinal between heavyweights Italy and
Germany -- it's an opportune time to look at the Italian influence on
Bayern Munich during the years.
Trapattoni is considered one of the most successful coaches in Serie A
history and the modern-day inventor of the defensive tactical system Catenaccio.
He enjoyed two spells in Munich, 1994-95 and 1996-98, winning the
Bundesliga in 1996-97 and the German Cup the following season. In light
of his often rather stodgy tactics though, "Trap" will definitely be
more fondly remembered for his legendary outburst at a news conference during his final season in charge.
Ancelotti recently admitted that "German is the hardest language to
learn," but hopefully he can follow in the great tradition of emotional
Italian news conferences in Munich. "If he [Trap] can learn German, so
can I," Ancelotti joked in the past -- no doubt strangely comforted by
his Italian coaching colleague's notorious linguistic skills.
One thing's for sure; Ancelotti's official unveiling as Bayern coach
is keenly awaited, and the complex German language and potential
communication barrier shouldn't prove much of a drawback. Whenever he
has coached abroad, in Spain, England and France, Ancelotti has quickly
grasped the lingo. Germany will be no different.
Ultimately, it came as no surprise that Bayern chose the 57-year-old
Ancelotti to succeed Guardiola. Ancelotti is the proverbial safe pair of
hands, cut from the same gentlemanly cloth as the Bavarian club's
successful trainers of the past, in particular Ottmar Hitzfeld and Jupp
Heynckes. Both of these statesmanlike figures led the German giants to
Champions League glory, something that the high-profile Guardiola wasn't
able to deliver during three seasons in Munich. The Italian coach
arrives in Munich with the highest pedigree, having won Europe's elite
club competition three times: twice at AC Milan and once (La Decima)
at Real Madrid. If he can get it right in pursuit of Bayern's "Holy
Grail" (Champions League), Ancelotti will prove as popular as
Trapattoni.
Carlo Ancelotti will be looking to guide Bayern Munich back to their first Champions League final since 2013.
Bayern can already bask in four runaway Bundesliga titles in a row, and given the strength of their squad, their domestic dolce vita
doesn't look like ending anytime soon. A fifth successive Bundesliga
seems assured even before the start of the new league season in eight
weeks' time, especially with their biggest rivals, Borussia Dortmund,
rebuilding after being stripped of their playing riches once again --
Mats Hummels and likely Henrikh Mkhitaryan to name but a few.
Yes, Ancelotti is Italian but he's not renowned for Catenaccio,
instead opting for free-flowing attacking football wherever possible.
However, it's certainly a bonus that a few of Bayern's recent signings
have a background in Serie A: the likes of Arturo Vidal and Kingsley
Coman immediately spring to mind, rather than the want-away Medhi
Benatia.
On the pitch, Luca Toni is considered the standout player from Italy.
Capped 47 times and a World Cup winner in Germany in 2006, the
recently-retired striker starred at Bayern between 2007 and 2009. He
finished as the league's top scorer in his debut season with 24 goals in
31 appearances.
Other notables include Ruggiero Rizzitelli, the first-ever Italian
player to grace the Bundesliga. A robust striker, signed by Trapattoni
from relegated Torino in 1996, Rizzitelli scored on his debut against St
Pauli, one of 11 Bundesliga goals in 45 appearances. Massimo Oddo,
another 2006 World Champion, enjoyed less illustrious times in Munich.
Brought in on loan from AC Milan by Jurgen Klinsmann in 2008 during the
current United States coach's ill-feted time in charge, the right-back
failed to convince and returned to Italy after 18 unremarkable
appearances.
Bearing in mind that Ancelotti's predecessor Guardiola added
compatriots Juan Bernat, Xabi Alonso and Thiago to the Bayern squad,
coupled with the fact that that Bayern don't currently have an Italian
player on their roster, it wouldn't be a surprise if further down the
road we see another Calciatore (Italian footballer) head toward Bayern as Ancelotti gets his "Italian Job" underway in Munich.
Mats Hummels has been impressed with the Italian defence during Euro 2016 so far. 
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