Real Madrid suffered their fifth defeat in La Liga this season on Saturday, but the circumstances are what will draw Carlo Ancelotti closer to the sack at the Santiago Bernabeu. The ire after Valencia’s 95th-minute winner was evident to all to see, from the whistles of the crowd to the lashing out of Jude Bellingham.
Not only did that defeat come at home, it also came against a Valencia side that was not at full strength, with both starting full-backs and key winger Luis Rioja suspended. The defeat came after two wins against Leganes and Real Sociedad, but neither were convincing, with six goals conceded across those two victories.
According to Diario AS, Real Madrid see signs that Ancelotti is losing control of the team, and there are three areas of criticism that in particular are bothering the hierarchy. Firstly, the line-ups: the fact that Raul Asencio was dropped at centre-back for Aurelien Tchouameni again baffled those in the director’s box, while Lucas Vazquez continued presence to his right, despite being exploited on numerous occasions, is equally frustrating. The continued use of Eduardo Camavinga as a left-back on occasion, and the lack of minutes for Endrick Felipe are also considered sticks to beat Ancelotti with.
The second point of contention with the Italian manager is his changes. The club are keen to get Kylian Mbappe to 40 goals this season, something Ancelotti is aware of, and he is in a battle for the Pichichi award with Robert Lewandowski too. Beyond the fact that Vinicius Junior missed his penalty on Saturday, few understood why the Brazilian was on it in the first place.
The third issue noted by Joaquin Maroto, editor of the Madrid-based newspaper, is the use of the young players. Raul Asencio has been a success story this year, but the handling of Arda Guler, combined with the lack of opportunities for the likes of right-back Jesus Fortea has not gone down well. The latter, 18 years of age, was tipped to come into the first-team following an injury to Dani Carvajal, but Los Blancos will go to face Arsenal with seven youth players in their squad, but only Asencio who feels part of the first team. Maroto goes on to say, and this being opinion, that even trophies at the end of the season may not save Ancelotti.
On the other hand Marca say that the dressing room was hurt by the defeat against Valencia. On Sunday morning morale was low, and Ancelotti had to remind his side that nothing was completely lost, and Real Madrid remain in the hunt for all three major titles. The star-studded squad did not see the Valencia defeat coming, and it hit them especially hard.
So far the line from the Bernabeu has been that Ancelotti’s future will hinge upon titles, and if he can win La Liga or the Champions League. Were he to do so, then Ancelotti would be given the chance to see out his contract until 2026, although Xabi Alonso lurks as his potential successor. That said, it is not the first time this season that Ancelotti’s future has been placed in severe doubt this season, and two months later his side were atop La Liga and advancing through the cup competitions.
