Former Real Madrid manager, Carlo Ancelotti, has explained what the club need to do if they are to bring the good times back and to put this season in the past
Carlo Ancelotti is one of the most popular managers in the modern history of Real Madrid.
During his first spell at the club, between 2013 and 2015, he won 'La Decima' - the club's 10th UEFA Champions League title, and first since 2012, with a 4-1 win against rivals Atletico Madrid after extra time. He also won the Copa del Rey, beating fellow rivals Barcelona 2-1.
In the summer of 2015, he was sacked after failing to deliver a trophy in the 14/15 season. However, in 2021, the club decided to bring him back to replace Zinedine Zidane, who had been part of his coaching staff during his first spell in charge.
It's safe to say, his second stint couldn't have gone a lot better. In a four year period, he won two Champions League titles, two La Liga titles and a Copa del Rey. Real Madrid have won three Copa del Rey titles in 33 years, and Ancelotti was manager for two of them.
Although his final season, 24/25, ended without any of the three aforementioned trophies, time has been kind to him, with the 25/26 season being even worse. Ancelotti, meanwhile, is preparing for the 2026 World Cup with Brazil.
In a recent interview with The Athletic , the 66-year old gave his thoughts on what Real Madrid need to do to get back to the top: "The old generation has to be rebuilt. They lost really important players: Casemiro, Modric, Kroos, Benzema. The atmosphere in the squad is important, it comes from these players, who have more character, more personality and more leadership.
So Real Madrid needs time to rebuild this environment in the squad, which gave them a lot of success before, It's not only a problem of technical quality. To have success, it is also to find a good balance."
The last point, about finding a good balance, is certainly very interesting. One of the biggest criticisms of Real Madrid recently has been the balance, or lack there of, from the team. The lack of dynamics between Vinicius and Kylian Mbappe has been frequently mentioned in the media, by fans of the club, and from neutrals.
Meanwhile, he explained how he would be open to ideas from his players: "When I was in Madrid, I'd have an idea and I'd try to discuss it with the players, and see if they agreed or not. We even did this in the final of the Champions League.
When I have an idea, the player has to be part of this idea. I don't want to impose strategy. To talk with players is not a weakness. In my career, it was really important because I had a lot of ideas coming from players. Andrea Pirlo, for example, when I put him as a holding midfielder, it was his idea."
Some interesting insight from Ancelotti, you have to say. It's what made him such a successful head coach in the Spanish capital.
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