Real Madrid News
Ancelotti could face the axe if Real Madrid fail to win any major titles
It has not been a bright phase for Real Madrid. If their defeat to Barcelona in midweek wasn’t enough, the defending champions were held by Real Betis in the most recent La Liga contest, thus allowing Barcelona to stretch their lead at the top to nine points.
In the aftermath of the victory, The Athletic’s Mario Cortegana has published a comprehensive report regarding Real Madrid’s internal problems, even suggesting that Carlo Ancelotti could be on his way out of Santiago Bernabeu if the club fail to secure any major trophy by the end of the season.
The defeat to Barcelona means the Spanish giants are already facing the risk of bowing out of Copa del Rey. If they are to secure a berth in the final, they must overturn a one-goal deficit against the Blaugrana in the second leg.
The race for the league title, meanwhile, appears to be over, with Barcelona holding a seemingly unassailable nine-point lead at the top.
Real Madrid, though, have been doing well in the UEFA Champions League. Despite a less-than-perfect ending to their group-stage campaign, the Whites secured a formidable 5-2 victory over Liverpool in the first leg of the Round of 16.
Except for an unforeseen miracle, Real Madrid are more than likely to qualify for the quarterfinal stage.
But that does not guarantee the safety of Ancelotti, who has also been a subject of a potential move to the Brazilian national team at the end of the season.
The report also suggests Ancelotti is unhappy with the Real Madrid board for multiple reasons. The Italian was reportedly upset with the club’s hierarchy for pushing him out of the Bernabeu, but it appears his requests for reinforcement last summer was also denied by the board.
Therefore, the coming months could be crucial for Ancelotti, as far as his future in the Spanish capital is concerned.
There is no way back for Eden Hazard at Real Madrid. The Belgian international has not given the management any reason to have faith in his abilities over his past four seasons at the club and is unsurprisingly the most important departure for the Merengues in the summer.
Hazard has one more year on his contract in Madrid. However, it is clear that Carlo Ancelotti does not trust him and that any potential replacement manager in the summer will echo his stance.
According to reports from Mundo Deportivo, Fenerbahce are willing to go all out to sign Hazard this summer. The Turkish side have made the former Chelsea their prime target, yet face a steep task ahead of them.
The 32-year-old is hellbent on seeing out his contract with Los Blancos despite seeing his career sink right before his eyes. It thus becomes complicated for the party to lure away the forward, especially in a competition outside Europe’s top five leagues.
Fenerbahce attempted to sign the winger in the recently concluded winter transfer market. They reached an agreement with Real Madrid but failed to get over the line as they could not convince the player of the move.
The biggest obstacle for the Turkish side will be convincing Hazard to make the move by letting go of his lucrative contract in Madrid. The chances are slim, but not impossible.
Hazard has made just three league appearances and one start for Ancelotti’s side this season in La Liga, a steep fall from last season’s 18 and seven respectively.
His last appearance for the team came back in January when Real Madrid faced Cacereno in the Copa del Rey. In La Liga however, he last played in September 2022 in a 4-1 win over Mallorca.
