While the knives are being sharpened in the Spanish media, the Real Madrid players remained right behind crisis coach Carlo Ancelotti after the elimination in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.
Players express support for Ancelotti: “Of course he has to continue”
There is no reason for doubt for Vinícius Júnior, he said in the mixed zone. “Of course he has to continue,” said the Brazilian after the big defeat at the Etihad Stadium. “We are very sad, it’s a game we wanted to win, but we didn’t succeed. There was no lack of the right attitude. It was just very difficult against a great team.”
Luka Modric also stepped into the breach for Ancelotti, who led De Koninklijke to the Champions League title last season. “The coach deserves to continue, I have no doubt about that. Since arriving at the club in his second spell, he has won all the titles. Last year was an incredible season. This season up to the World Cup we were very good in LaLiga and we fought for everything. Defeats followed that we had not foreseen,” he said.
“It’s still football,” said the veteran. “But I think we have done very well in the cup and in the Champions League to this day. For this reason, there is no doubt in my mind about his future. He deserves it for everything he does and has done.”
Brazilian link
The 63-year-old Ancelotti has been associated with a position as national coach of Brazil for months, but the Italian himself insisted that he was only concerned with Real Madrid.
The front pages of the Spanish sports newspapers do not lie. AS finds the defeat in England ‘to cry’ and saw that Real Madrid was tackled very hard. They wrote, “They were outclassed from the first whistle. Courtois will remain in the reports as the sole survivor of the disaster. Vinicius was overshadowed by Walker, Benzema was not present, Rodrygo, Valverde and the veterans offered no resistance at all. Man City were just better at everything. After this match, everything will be under a magnifying glass again at Real Madrid, including Ancelotti.”
Mundo Deportivo cuts harder on the Italian coach. “He refused to strengthen the midfield, where Man City are often superior there. This defeat leaves Ancelotti with a terrible image, his players couldn’t even send two passes in a row in the first half. This Real Madrid was inferior and that arose from the system of the Italian coach, which has stood still for years,” was their verdict.
