Real Madrid's 2024-25 campaign is in real danger of unravelling. They fell four points behind arch-rivals Barcelona in the La Liga title race after a 2-1 defeat at home to Valencia last weekend, before being decimated 3-0 by Arsenal at the Emirates in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie, and Carlo Ancelotti is, understandably, growing more and more frustrated.
“Why am I finding it difficult to instil ambition in these players?” Ancelotti said after Tuesday’s loss to Arsenal. “This is a little bit the problem we’ve been having throughout the season: the difficulty of being a compact unit in good moments, but also in bad moments.” Indeed, the Gunners were able to carve Real open far too easily, which continued a worrying trend in the most important matches.
As is always the case at Real, though, the buck stops with the manager. According to Relevo, if Ancelotti is unable to deliver more major trophies come May, with a Copa del Rey final date against Barca also on the cards, he will pay the ultimate price.
Los Blancos are said to have already lined up Bayer Leverkusen's Xabi Alonso to replace Ancelotti, who no longer has any margin for error. But sacking the legendary Italian coach won't fix Madrid's biggest issue.
Ancelotti has been hamstrung this term by the club's baffling lack of transfer activity, and the deficiencies in key areas of the squad are now impossible to ignore. It doesn't matter who is sitting in the dugout; until a semblance of balance is restored Madrid will remain a team that is far too reliant on individual brilliance and doesn't have any plan B.
