Carlo Ancelotti has thanked Pep Guardiola for assembling the world-class squad at Bayern Munich that the Italian said he is now fortunate to manage.
Ancelotti spoke to German news broadcaster ARD in the wake of his side's 3-1 German Cup triumph over Augsburg on Wednesday, and credited the now Manchester City boss with leaving behind a set of stars who are capable of continuing Bayern's dominance in domestic competitions.
He said: "Pep Guardiola is a great coach, one of the best in Europe and the world.
"He did a marvellous job here and I inherited this top quality side from Guardiola, but now it's another story. I'm trying to do my best here and keep improving the side."
Bayern progressed to the last-16 of the cup competition after brushing aside fellow Bundesliga side Augsburg at the Allianz Arena - though the German giants were made to work for their victory.
First-half goals from Phillipp Lahm and Julian Green - the latter of whom netted his first ever senior strike for Bayern - had put the hosts in a commanding lead before both sides contrived to miss penalties.
Carlo Ancelotti on last night's game pic.twitter.com/wdM1rStwjH
Augsburg's Dong-Won Ji reduced the deficit to set up a nervy finish to proceedings, but David Alaba arrived from the substitutes bench to bag a goal late on to ensure Bayern's passage to the next round.
Ancelotti made eight changes to his starting lineup ahead of three matches inside a week, and he commented that he would always look to rotate his squad to keep all of his charges happy.
He continued: "I have a fantastic squad as I've often said. The players are all in good condition. My job is to keep them motivated."
Ancelotti also revealed his delight at welcoming back Holger Badstuber, who had been sidelined since February with a troublesome ankle injury.
The defender returned as a substitute in the 80th minute to a rousing reception, and Ancelotti said it was good to have Badstuber available once more.
The ex-Chelsea and AC Milan boss added: "It's great that Badstuber is back after such a long time out. He's another player who's important for the team and in good condition."
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