LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – Los Blancos may have beaten Liverpool handily at Anfield, but that performance was an outlier during what has been a tough 2023 at Santiago Bernabeu.
Recently, Carlo Ancelotti’s press conferences have become repetitive. On a weekly basis, the Real Madrid boss is asked about expiring contracts, his refusal to stick to one tactical system, and why Eden Hazard is, once again, injured.
He is drilled about why Barcelona are nine points ahead in La Liga.
And then, in some form, he is asked about his long-term future at Santiago Bernabeu.
Such questions would be hard to believe for those who watched Madrid thrash Liverpool at Anfield just three weeks ago, but as the Italian coach prepares for the return leg, he does so under increasing pressure.
Los Blancos have fallen behind an inexperienced Barca side in La Liga, and will see their title defence all-but end if they lose to their arch-rivals in Sunday’s Clasico.
Their record against Barca this season doesn’t bode well for them, have already lost the Spanish Super Cup final to Xavi’s side, while they are 1-0 down after the home leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final.
Then, at this point, it is likely to be Champions League or bust for the veteran manager.
Steadily, Ancelotti has come under pressure as the season has worn on in Madrid.
This time last year, Los Blancos were pulling away domestically and pulling off miraculous Champions League comebacks.
The ex-Chelsea boss was being hailed for his superb coaching style, with fans and media alike marveling at his side’s controlled brilliance.
Madrid felt like a unique side in modern European football and barely wavered from their own style, regardless of the match situation.
They were battered for long periods, but always stuck in games, showing remarkable self-belief to work themselves out of situations that other teams would have wilted in.
Now, though, things have changed. Madrid are very beatable, displays where opponents got the better of them statistically are turning into actual defeats.
Meanwhile, Ancelotti has been steadfast in his tactics, even while the ‘vibe’ that he creates seems to be wearing off.
In fairness, everything seemed to be running pretty smoothly during the first few months of the season. Madrid didn’t lose a single domestic game until November.
They brushed off Xavi’s new-look Barcelona in the first Clasico of the season, and held off Atletico in the Madrid Derby.
Although there was an occasional European slip up – marked by a frustrating but forgivable 3-2 defeat to a resurgent RB Leipzig – Madrid looked composed as the World Cup break loomed.
Madrid were hoping to go top of the table with a win, but instead they let slip a 2-1 lead to lose 3-2 in a game where their hosts deserved to win by a far greater margin.
After the game, Ancelotti slammed his side as he singled out the performances of Vinicius Junior and Marco Asensio as being below-par, but did concede that his team were tired after a stretch of 11 games in 36 days.
It was unusual to see a manager as calm as Ancelotti criticize individuals. The Madrid boss had so regularly hailed his players and praised performances that a negative press conference was hard to believe.
Club president Florentino Perez is also unhappy, and had a lengthy dressing-room chat with Ancelotti after their dire 0-0 draw with Betis on 5 March.
Where this all ends is difficult to say. Ancelotti’s contract runs until 2024, and he appears to have a way out, with the Brazil national team reportedly interested in bringing him in.
It is the nature of being Real Madrid manager that every result will be scrutinized.
Ancelotti has drawn so much out of his side for the last 18 months that any slip in form will be met with raised eyebrows, and not just from the man himself. At the pinnacle football, past successes are quickly forgotten.
Ancelotti’s team has a three-goal aggregate lead, and the Reds aren’t in any sort of form that would suggest they could conjure another European comeback.
But Ancelotti truly needs this one. European success, so often expected, has become essential. It could be the only thing to keep him in a job.
