Spain coach Carlo Ancelotti insists he will not resign, but hopes former midfielder Xabi Alonso will return to manage Real in the near future.
Alonso is highly regarded in the profession, although he only started his coaching career in 2019, leading Real Sociedad's B team. In October 2022, the former Spanish player was appointed by Leverkusen to replace Gerardo Seoane. From second to last in the Bundesliga, he led Leverkusen to a sixth-place finish and to the Europa League semi-finals.
Leverkusen have continued to soar this season, picking up 13 points with four wins and a draw and sharing the top spot in the Bundesliga with defending champions Bayern Munich. The German club also made an impressive start to the Europa League with a 4-0 win over Swedish side BK Hacken at home at the BayArena.
According to Spanish press, Real will not renew the contract and will part ways with Ancelotti in the summer of 2024, and at the same time plan to appoint Alonso as his successor. At a press conference before the match against Las Palmas in round seven of La Liga, when asked about his future at Real, Ancelotti said: "I knew Alonso as a player, he has a deep knowledge of football. Alonso is doing well at Bayer Leverkusen and has the ability to lead Real. I hope Alonso, and also Raul or Alvaro Arbeloa can become Real's coach one day."
Ancelotti (left) and Alonso when working together at Real. Photo: AFP
During his playing days, Alonso played as a central midfielder, playing for Sociedad, Eibar, Liverpool, Real and Bayern. He scored 44 goals in 701 matches, winning 14 club titles, including one Champions League, one La Liga and three Bundesliga titles. At the national team level, Alonso scored 16 goals in 114 matches, and was a member of Spain's golden generation that won the 2010 World Cup, Euro 2008 and 2012.
During his 17 years at the top level, Alonso has been a student of the best coaches in the world such as Luis Aragones, Vicente Del Bosque in the national team, Rafa Benitez, Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola and Ancelotti himself at the club level.
While his former player is flying high at Leverkusen, Ancelotti is under a lot of pressure at the Bernabeu after the 1-3 defeat at Atletico in the sixth round of La Liga last weekend. The Italian coach was criticized for his personnel selection and tactics, when using a 4-3-1-2 formation. In which, Jude Bellingham was pushed up to play as a striker with Rodrygo, while Luka Modric played as an attacking midfielder.
In yesterday's press conference, Ancelotti spent most of his time responding to these criticisms, emphasizing that every formation has its weaknesses. According to the 64-year-old coach, the diamond system against Atletico was not perfect, with the strength being that it helped Real press higher and recover the ball better, while the weakness was that players could easily lose their positions if the midfielders did not retreat quickly. He praised his players for their experience, their seriousness in training, and that they would overcome these weaknesses over time.
"Criticism is part of my job," Ancelotti added. "When you are in charge of Real and things are not going well, criticism will come. That is normal and does not affect me. That said, I have to evaluate and reflect on what we did well and what we did wrong against Atletico. My assessment may also be different from what people think."
Ancelotti also said that new signing Arda Guler had recovered from a knee injury sustained during pre-season and could play. But two hours later, Real announced that the midfielder dubbed the "Turkish Messi" had suffered a left thigh injury and would continue to be absent for the foreseeable future. In addition to Guler, Ancelotti will be without centre-back Eder Militao and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois due to long-term injuries.
Hong Duy
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