Carlo Ancelotti is a Real Madrid legend. Given everything he’s won with the club — including x3 Champions Leagues, x2 LaLiga titles, and x2 Spanish Super Cups — Ancelotti’s name is solidified in Madrid folklore, with many fans considering him the best ever (although some still view Miguel Munoz as the undisputed managerial king of Madrid). But since last year’s Champions League final victory, Ancelotti’s star-studded squad have lost momentum, sitting second behind Barcelona in the table and recently losing the first El Clasico of the season 4-0. On top of this, Madrid have been torn apart 3-1 by AC Milan in the UCL, just lost 2-0 to Liverpool in the same competition, and also fell short in a 2-1 loss to Athletic Club in LaLiga. Is it a ‘total crisis’ like many people in the media believe? Arguably, yes. And whenever Madrid enter a crisis, history tells us that the manager is usually sacked shortly after — but could this really be the end of Carlo Ancelotti’s second stint in charge?

Carlo Ancelotti Might Be Sacked If Results Don’t Start to Improve

It’s widely accepted that Carlo Anceloti will be sacked by Madrid if he’s unable to turn around the club’s current poor run of form. As things stand, Barcelona are 2 points clear at the top of the table, new signing Kylian Mbappé is struggling to reach expectations, and there are even rumors of ‘tense’ dressing room unrest behind the scenes. Ultimately, this has led to Madrid being left out of many of the free soccer picks on BettingTools, as it’s now no longer a guarantee that they’re going to win games. At the same time, there’s a huge amount of pressure being placed on Carlo Ancelotti, as many sportsbooks currently have Xabi Alonso and Jurgen Klopp down as potential favorites to replace “Don Carlo” if Florentino Perez decides to pull the trigger.

After Madrid’s devastating Champions League loss to AC Milan, Anceloti commented on the speculation surrounding dressing room problems:

“No, the dressing room is healthy. Obviously there will be a lot of criticism now, especially about the attitude, the training… but this has happened many times in the past.”

Ancelloti is right — this isn’t the first time (nor will it be the last) that the Madrid dressing room goes through a period of unrest. However, what’s clear to see is that the current unrest isn’t going to simply blow over. The general belief is that the retirement of Toni Kroos and injury to Dani Carvajal have left the side with a lack of authority, with no other senior players capable of stepping in to fill the gap. At the same time, the arrival of Kylian Mbappé from PSG has also reportedly caused problems behind the scenes, with Mbappé said to be ‘fed up’ of being the club’s No.9.

Moving forward, one glaring issue that Ancelloti will have to fix surrounds Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham. In recent games in particular, Mbappé has struggled positionally and isn’t making cutting runs in from behind. To compensate for this, Bellingham is making forward runs from the number ten role far too often, which is causing the team to be unbalanced and disjointed at the top of the pitch. It raises a question of whether the likes of Mbappe, Bellingham, and Vinicius Junior can co-exist together — or whether Ancelloti will have to be ruthless and make some serious long-term changes.

If anyone can do it, it’s certainly Ancelloti. He’s proven time and time again in the past to be an expert manager of “Galácticos” players, so there’s no reason why he won’t be able to turn the dressing room around and potentially get Madrid back to the top of the table. Madrid are also still in the Champions League and could easily win another Copa Del Rey, which they are the current favorites to do this season.

Who Will the Next Madrid Manager Be?

The speculation surrounding who might be the next Real Madrid manager continues to grow. Recent reports suggest that Madrid president Florentino Perez is eager to bring back former manager Zinedine Zidane, who famously won 3 Champions Leagues (2016, 2017, 2018) in a row with Madrid. However, there’s also talk of Xabi Alonso being lined up as a potential replacement, too, with the Spanish manager winning the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen last season after going an entire campaign undefeated. Whether either of these men – or potentially even Jürgen Klopp – get the job remains to be seen. It will depend largely on how fast Carlo Ancelotti can turn the current season’s poor run of form around, with star players like Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham continuing to struggle.

Summary: What Next for Real Madrid?

Despite still being the slight favourites to win LaLiga this season, Real Madrid is a club that’s in a slump. Inconsistent form, a troubled dressing room, and an underwhelming Kylian Mbappé are all contributing to the ongoing crisis. Naturally, this means that legendary manager Ancelotti is under extreme pressure, especially now that the club looks unlikely to win the UCL and Barcelona could potentially stop them from winning the LaLiga title this season. The coming weeks and months will be vital — and Ancelotti knows it.