6 months ago, everything was ready for Carlo Ancelotti to leave Real Madrid in the summer of 2024. It seemed that the Italian strategist’s era at the Bernabeu was about to end. Ancelotti only has 1 year left on his contract in the Spanish capital and the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) continuously expressed interest.
When Ancelotti’s future becomes unclear, Los Blancos also faces many difficulties. Karim Benzema suddenly moved to the Saudi Pro League, Kylian Mbappe is still undecided on his future, while both Toni Kroos and Luka Modric are approaching the end of their careers.
It seems that Real’s generation of young players will be led by a new “captain”. But in football, nothing really goes according to plan. As early as last August, Ancelotti reaffirmed his commitment to his job at Real Madrid. The former Chelsea coach affirmed that he will wait “until the last day” for the club to propose a contract extension. Along with that, Ancelotti also found a tactical system suitable for the current people.
By the time December rolled around, Ancelotti had agreed to a new three-year contract. Los Blancos then won their first title of the season by defeating Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final. “White Vultures” also entered the Champions League knock-out round.
After all, Ancelotti remains at the Bernabeu and leads a new era…
Real Madrid has a chance to win the quadruple this season. Ancelotti’s team is a candidate to win La Liga although currently ranked second with a gap of 1 point behind Girona. Real still has 1 match left in hand.
In fact, the challenges Real faces in the arenas this season are not easy. At the Copa del Rey, they had to face city rival Atletico Madrid. While Los Blancos’ Champions League round 16 opponent is RB Leipzig. But with certainty about Ancelotti’s future, both Real and the strategist himself will no longer be distracted.
Perhaps more interestingly, this is just the beginning of a new era at the Bernabeu. This summer, Brazilian prodigy Endrick will move from Palmeiras with a contract worth 60 million Euros. And although there are still many doubts about Mbappe’s future, the Bernabeu is always the Frenchman’s priority.
There are also rumors about Alphonso Davies refusing to renew with Bayern Munich and wanting to join Los Blancos. And if everything goes for the best, suddenly a squad that is aging at a rapid pace at Real becomes young again.
Of course, the upside is that Modric looks set to leave this summer, while Kroos could also follow suit. But Ancelotti will still have a world-class midfield, a quality attack and a solid defense if the pillars are healthy.
Another tactical switch – perhaps a return to a 4-3-3 formation – will be necessary for Ancelotti to get the most out of his personnel. But after the success in the first half of this season, it will be difficult to predict Ancelotti’s plans.
Ancelotti had the opportunity to enter a new chapter in his career with an invitation from Brazil. But in the end, he still decided to stick with the Bernabeu. And the reward for the Italian strategist could be a completely new Real Madrid…
