Real Madrid News
Real Madrid mainstay opines on the future of Carlo Ancelotti: “He is our manager”
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has claimed that he would like to see Carlo Ancelotti remain at the club after the season even if they do not win the UEFA Champions League this season.
Los Blancos’ campaign has not hit the heights of last season even though they have won the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
They are nine points behind leaders Barcelona in the La Liga table heading into tomorrow’s El Clasico. On top of that, Real Madrid are also trailing the Catalans 1-0 in the semi-final of the Copa del Rey after the first leg.
It has led to question marks over the future and continuity of Ancelotti, with reports suggesting that Real Madrid could axe him if they do not win any major titles this season.
But Courtois is clear that he wants Ancelotti to stay at the club even if the Merengues do not win the Champions League, although he knows that the decision is not in his hands.
“Yes, of course. He is a great manager and the players have a good bond with him. They are not our decisions but we fight with him for titles and he is our manager,” he told Movistar (h/t Mundo Deportivo).
Courtois on the importance of winning the Clasico
The Belgian international then talked about tomorrow’s El Clasico against Barcelona and how important the fixture is with respect to the title race.
“If we don’t win the game, the point difference will be quite high but we have the confidence to win and to reduce the points to keep fighting until the end,” he said.
Furthermore, Courtois added that Real Madrid will do everything to put Barça under pressure until the end and make it as hard for them as possible, saying:
“We want to put pressure on them and if they keep winning then they will be deserved champions. We want to fight until the end, until the first weekend in June, and hopefully, we’ll be happy.”
When asked if he and the team prepare differently for Clasicos, the goalkeeper replied: “We prepare the same for every game because every game is important, although obviously, the Clásicos are special because of the rivalry. They are three points and the important thing is to prepare for each game in the same way.”
Courtois also spoke highly of his Barcelona counterpart Marc-Andre ter Stegen, stating that his exploits were key in the Catalans’ rise to the top.
“This year Barça have a very good defensive base and the few chances they do concede are saved by Ter Stegen. He has been winning many games 1-0 and if it wasn’t for him they would have ended in a draw,” he said. “It’s to his credit that Barça are nine points clear at the top. He’s having a great season and he’s a great goalkeeper.”
There was praise reserved for Robert Lewandowski as well, as Courtois added: “He brings a lot to the team, he’s a winner since Dortmund and Bayern Munich. He scores a lot of goals and has given Barcelona a plus. He has a great eye for goal and gives them a lot to play with.”
On the Champions League and facing Chelsea
Courtois also spoke about the Champions League draw, where Real Madrid will be facing his former club Chelsea in the quarter-finals.
“To win the Champions League you have to beat the strongest teams. That’s the way it is. The game against Chelsea is always special for me, for Rüdiger, for Eden and we’ll see if we go further,” he said.
“First, we have to concentrate on tomorrow’s game and when we come back from the international break we hope to have a good run in April.”
On Real Madrid’s chances of winning the Champions League this term, he added: “Last year nobody thought we could win and this year we don’t know, but we will always be one of the favourites.”
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.
