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ANGELO ALESSIO LASTED JUST 184 DAYS IN SCOTLAND - AND HE FEARS HIS FELLOW COUNTRYMAN COULD SUFFER THE SAME FATE 11:01, 29 May 2025Updated 19:36, 29 May 2025 Luka Modric is the kind of name

Rangers target Davide Ancelotti could reach - Hotline Live Davide Ancelotti could become just the third Italian to manage in Scottish football if he gets the Rangers job. The last one to

grace our game only lasted 184 DAYS. And he fears that if Ancelotti Jnr doesn’t hit the ground running at Ibrox - he might suffer the same fate. Angelo Alessio followed former Dundee boss

Ivano Bonetti by making a move from Italy into the Scottish game when he arrived at Kilmarnock in June 2019 with a terrific CV as an assistant coach - just like Ancelotti. Alessio had worked

alongside Antonio Conte at Juventus - where he was a UEFA Cup winning player - Chelsea and Italy. He had big shoes to fill at Rugby Park, taking over from Steve Clarke who’d just accepted

the role as Scotland boss. Article continues below Alessio felt ready to be a manager in his own right, which is the feeling Ancelotti has now after leaving Real Madrid with father - and

legendary coach - Carlo. It was a bold move by Killie but Alessio got off to a poor start, suffering a Europa League defeat to Welsh minnows Connah’s Quay Nomads. Eventually, results picked

up but it wasn’t good enough and the Italian was sacked by December. He’s delighted to see one of his countrymen being tipped as Rangers’ new head coach. But Alessio has warned Ancelotti

that Scottish football is unique. He says the pressure he’ll feel as manager at Ibrox will be huge, especially with the club trying to wrestle the title off Celtic. In an exclusive interview

with_ RECORD SPORT_, Alessio says Ancelotti must get to know the players he’s working with at Rangers NOW, make sure his staff includes a mix of Scottish and foreign coaches and fully

understand the club’s targets and ambitions before a ball is kicked. When asked about Ancelotti’s potential arrival in Glasgow, Alessio said: “Fundamentally, I think it’s a good idea. “But

in Scotland there are only two teams who fight to be the best and compete to win the Premiership. In the last few years, Rangers have gone down a bit. “So next season, they have to start

well. There will be a lot of expectation on them to win. “So we have to see if the club would support Ancelotti Jnr and his staff. Rangers is a club built to win. And Ancelotti, just like

his father, is a winner. “But Scotland is different. And at the moment, Celtic has better players than Rangers. “If the club spends money to get quality players and support the coach, of

course getting Ancelotti is a good idea. “But if they don’t? It’s the wrong idea. When I was at Kilmarnock the board decided to fire me when the team were in fifth position. “I remember in

my contract, I guaranteed Kilmarnock that I’d have them in the top six. “But they fired me in fifth. So, at the beginning of the season, it must be clear for Ancelotti Jnr what the target

is. “Otherwise, ANY coach will find it difficult. Because it’s a big challenge for Rangers to beat Celtic. “It doesn’t matter if the coach is Scottish, English or Italian. It’s so important

that the programme and the target is made very clear from the start. “If they decide on Ancelotti, they will get someone with experience at the top level with Real Madrid. “But in Scotland

the challenge is complicated. He can do well there if, in the initial period, he gets to understand the country, the club and its philosophy. “Very soon, he has to know the players he wants

to keep, who he wants to take with him - and what they need. “He can do very well at Rangers - if he starts well. And even now, before he takes the job he has to understand that.” Alessio

had already worked at Chelsea alongside Conte when he arrived at Kilmarnock, so he knew British football. Ancelotti won’t have that luxury if he’s appointed as Philippe Clement’s successor

at Rangers. That’s why Alessio says it’s imperative that he’s up to speed with everything he’s going to encounter in Scotland before he gets there. He said: “Ancelotti Jnr must know the

players he’s working with before he arrives. And he also has to understand Scottish football. “It’s different from Italy or Spain. He also has to have a mixed staff with him, made up with

Scottish and then Spanish or Italian. “Because you must have that link between himself and the players. That’s important if you’re going to be successful together. “If not, it will be

complicated at the beginning. I had been at Chelsea and I followed Scottish football. “I also had Massimo Donati on my staff. He played for Celtic so he knew the game there really well. For

me, it was easy to adapt. Of course, the team didn’t get positive results at the beginning. “Then we started to win some and in October, I received the award for coach of the month. But a

month and a half later, the board fired me. It was unbelievable.” If Ancelotti accepts the Rangers project and agrees to become the first head coach of a new era at Ibrox under American

ownership - he will immediately be under pressure to deliver. He’s used to his dad Carlo feeling it at Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, PSG and Napoli. But Alessio insists it’s a different ball

game when you’re the gaffer. Especially when you’re trying to emerge from the shadow of your successful father. He said: “Because he is Carlo’s son, it is complicated for him. “The

expectation will be very high. And for him, probably even higher because it’s his first job as a head coach. “But at Rangers, for any coach going there, the expectations are high. For

Ancelotti Jnr, this year is very important because we’ll find out how he reacts under pressure. “When the team is under pressure, we’ll see whether he can handle it or not. Article continues

below “When you’re the manager, you feel the difference. At Rangers or Celtic, you have to win every game. That’s different to many other clubs. “And when you go to Aberdeen, Hearts or

Hibernian in their own stadium, it’s difficult to play against these teams. “The away games in Scotland are hard. The stadium is small and some even play on a synthetic pitch. So for these

reasons, it’s different.”