Coach Ancelotti supports Alonso to lead Real Madrid.

Spanish coach Carlo Ancelotti has affirmed that he will not resign, but hopes that former midfielder Xabi Alonso will return to manage Real Madrid in the near future.

Alonso is highly regarded in the profession, despite only starting his coaching career in 2019, leading Real Sociedad's B team. In October 2022, the former Spanish star was appointed by Leverkusen to replace Gerardo Seoane. From second-to-last place in the Bundesliga, he led Leverkusen to a sixth-place finish and a place in the Europa League semi-finals.

This season, Leverkusen continued their impressive run, accumulating 13 points with four wins and one draw, sharing the top spot in the Bundesliga with reigning champions Bayern Munich. The German club also had an impressive start to the Europa League, winning 4-0 against Swedish side BK Hacken at their home stadium, BayArena.

According to Spanish media, Real Madrid will not renew Ancelotti's contract and will part ways with him in the summer of 2024, while also planning to appoint Alonso as his successor. In a press conference before the match against Las Palmas in the seventh round of La Liga, when asked about his future at Real, Ancelotti said: "I knew Alonso when he was a player; he has extensive knowledge of football. Alonso is doing well at Bayer Leverkusen and is capable of leading Real. I hope Alonso, and also Raul or Alvaro Arbeloa, can become Real's coach one day."

Ancelotti (left) and Alonso when they worked together at Real Madrid. Photo: AFP — Ancelotti (left) and Alonso when they worked together at Real Madrid. Photo: *AFP*

During his playing career, Alonso played as a central midfielder, successively representing Sociedad, Eibar, Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich. 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 and Euros 2008 and 2012.

During his 17-year career at the highest level, Alonso was a student of some of the world's best coaches, such as Luis Aragones and Vicente Del Bosque at the national team level, and Rafa Benitez, Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola, and even Ancelotti himself at the club level.

While his former protégé is soaring at Leverkusen, Ancelotti is under immense pressure at the Bernabeu following the humiliating 1-3 defeat at Atletico Madrid in the sixth round of La Liga last weekend. The Italian coach has been criticized for his personnel and tactical choices, particularly his use of a 4-3-1-2 formation. In this setup, Jude Bellingham was deployed as a striker alongside 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 formation against Atletico was not perfect, with the strength being that it allowed Real to press higher and recover the ball better, while the weakness was that players easily lost their positions if the midfielders didn't retreat quickly enough. He praised his experienced players for their seriousness in training and said he would overcome these weaknesses over time.

"Criticism is part of my job," Ancelotti added. "When you manage Real and things aren't going well, criticism will come. That's normal and doesn't affect me. That being said, I have to evaluate and reflect on what we did well and what we did wrong against Atletico. My assessment may also differ from what people think."

Ancelotti also announced that new signing Arda Guler had recovered from a pre-season knee injury and was available to play. However, two hours later, Real announced that the midfielder, dubbed the "Turkish Messi," had suffered another left thigh injury and would be sidelined for the foreseeable future. In addition to Guler, Ancelotti will also be without center-back Eder Militao and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois due to long-term injuries.

Hong Duy

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