New Delhi: Real Madrid supporters seemed to have just one word on their minds in the lead-up to Wednesday’s Champions League quarterfinal matchup against Arsenal at the Bernabeu: remontada. That’s Spanish for “comeback,” and although previous Real Madrid teams have pulled off incredible comebacks from challenging situations to win, that never seemed likely with this current squad.
After a lacklustre first-leg performance at Emirates Stadium, Real Madrid was behind 3-0, but except from a fleeting moment of optimism when Vinicius Jr. cancelled out Bukayo Saka’s second-half goal in two minutes, the holders never posed a threat to overcome the deficit. Instead, Arsenal pulled off a victory, becoming the only team to defeat Real Madrid in their first two meetings at the Bernabeu. In stoppage time, Gabriel Martinelli scored to give them a surprise 2-1 victory and a 5-1 overall victory.
The post-mortem has already started, and Carlo Ancelotti is aware that the questions around him and his team will not be going away anytime soon as Real Madrid faces the possibility of missing out on the Champions League semi-finals for just the third time in twelve seasons.
“We have the dark side and we have the bright side,” the Italian, who has won the Champions League three times with Real Madrid, said after taking over the team for a second time in 2021. He further claimed that they have won games, trophies, and that he managed the bright side numerous times.
“We have been eliminated (from the Champions League but) we have three more competitions we need to stay focused for,” Ancelotti said.
Many people questioned how this superstar-filled Madrid club could be halted when Kylian Mbappe was signed by the Spanish powerhouses in the summer when his contract with Paris St-Germain expired. Numerous commentators said they couldn’t. However, Real Madrid’s season is already being viewed as a failure as they lost the European championship after a lacklustre loss to Arsenal and now have a difficult battle to protect their La Liga title with Barcelona four points ahead.
For most of the season, there has been talk in Spain about Ancelotti’s future. In his second spell, the 65-year-old has won 11 trophies, including the Fifa Club World Cup, two league titles, and two Champions Leagues. Ancelotti, who has a contract that expires in 2026, has stated that he will talk about his future in the summer and has been connected to the open Brazil position.
Ancelotti responded, “I can’t speak about this right now,” when asked if he will still be in charge when the Club World Cup starts in June.
“It could be that the club decide to change (coach). It could be this year – or the next when my contract expires, there’s no problem.
“It could be tomorrow, in 10 days, in a month or a year, but all I can do will be to thank the club – if my contract’s up or not, I don’t care.”
Ancelotti has won 20 major titles, including five Champions Leagues, two of which were with AC Milan. His management record is excellent and deserving of respect. However, with former Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso, the manager of Bayer Leverkusen, said to be making a comeback, the club’s leadership may feel it’s time to make the move.
