Carlo Ancelotti may be defiantly continuing on as Real Madrid for now, there is no doubt that he is on the brink of being removed from his position. The Champions League exit at the hands of Arsenal, and especially the manner of it, has piled the pressure on him, and should he be unable to end the season without a trophy, it is almost certain that he will not continue.
As it turns out, Ancelotti may jump before he is pushed. In recent weeks, links with the Brazil national team have ramped up again after the Brazilian Football Federation sacked head coach Dorival Junior in March. The Italian is the preferred candidate to take over, and he could opt to go there at the end of the season.
And according to Relevo, it is Ancelotti’s intention to leave Real Madrid at the end of the La Liga season in order to take over as the new head coach of Brazil. It would mean that Los Blancos would require a replacement for the 2025 Club World Cup, which takes place this summer in the United States.
Xabi Alonso is the clear favourite to take over as Ancelotti’s replacement when he does go, but it is far from certain that he leaves Bayer Leverkusen in time for the Club World Cup starting in June. As such, it is perhaps more likely that Santiago Solari, who has been tipped to take the reins at the Santiago Bernabeu on a temporary basis, is placed in charge for the tournament.
It certainly appears inevitable that Ancelotti’s second spell in charge of Real Madrid is coming to an end. All parties will hope that they can achieve some success before the clean break occurs, but in order to do so, they will need to overcome Barcelona on two counts – in La Liga and the Copa del Rey final.
