After Real Madrid’s latest victory against Osasuna, Marco Van Basten, a Dutch football legend, made a revelation about Carlo Ancelotti. Under pressure before this match, the 65-year-old Madrid coach was reportedly in a state of panic… Vinicius Junior saved his skin!
Carlo Ancelotti will begin the final sprint of this year with much more peace of mind. Under pressure following heavy defeats to FC Barcelona (in the Clasico on October 26) and AC Milan, the Italian coach could afford no mistakes against Osasuna in the 13th round of La Liga. Just before the recent international break, Real Madrid had to get back to winning ways or risk Florentino PĂ©rez sacking his manager. In the end, Vinicius Junior shone with a remarkable hat-trick, securing a 4-0 victory.
Marco Van Basten’s warm confessions
During this one-sided match, we saw Carlo Ancelotti warmly embrace Vinicius after his goals, probably because he felt his position was secured. Indeed, according to the confidences of former Dutch international Marco Van Basten (1983-1992, 58 matches, 24 goals), who worked with Ancelotti at AC Milan, there was no serenity before the match against Osasuna. “Ancelotti was nervous before the Osasuna match. He told me so. His wife was also nervous, even more than he was,” he shared on Ziggo Sport.
A friend since their Milan days, Marco Van Basten indicates that the Madrid coach clearly saw himself leaving if there had been a poor result in the last match. The hammer blow was close to falling on Ancelotti, who has not reassured anyone since the start of the season. In any case, today, the idea of dismissal is no longer on the table, with the current situation of the squad being significantly weakened.
Carlo Ancelotti set to finish the season
While it is possible to criticise the way Real Madrid have played this season, one must not forget the numerous injuries that have disrupted the team’s stability. Against Osasuna, three new injuries were recorded, including the most serious one to Eder Militao, who will miss the rest of the season. Today, with the lack of squad depth, especially in defence, and the reluctance of the management to bring in players to help bolster the defence, it would be very unjust to sack the 65-year-old coach should the team have poor results in the upcoming matches.
Against Leganés next Sunday, we should see a completely reshuffled Madrid team, particularly in defence, with Federico Valverde moved to the right side of defence and young Raul Asensio in the centre alongside Antonio Rudiger. And against Liverpool, things should not change much. By the end of the year, Aurélien Tchouaméni, who is expected to return to action by mid-December, will likely replace Militao in central defence.
With all this makeshift arrangement, it is hard to see another coach threatening Carlo Ancelotti’s position, who is expected to finish this season before stepping down to make way for Xabi Alonso, who has been tipped as the next Real Madrid coach.
Leave a Reply