Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti took the lead on his 350th game in the club on Sunday against Barcelona, with the defeat that ended their chances on the La Liga title and eventually confirmed that his 353rd meeting on the couch would be his last on the Santiago Bernabeu. Football España editor Ruairidh Barlow joined CNN World Sport to discuss the Fallout from his exit.
Brazil announced that Ancelotti would take over the Selecao for the following year and the World Cup 2026, with an option to expand that deal to the 2030 edition in Spain, Morocco and Portugal. The Brazilian side is desperately looking for success after a number of bald years in the World Cup, combined with the triumphs of Argentina in the Copa America and World Cup.
Ancelotti's exit was eventually defined by his inability to find a balance this season in his Real Madrid side, with the access of Kylian Mbappe in the starting XI for the retired Toni Kroos who turned Los Blancos into a top-heavy team. While Mbappe found its shape in the second half of the season, Ancelotti never reached the formula for success this season, with fragile defense and a midfield that has not been able to control games.
Although Ancelotti's shortcomings have been clear this season, the lack of tools is just as prominent. Without Kroos, only Dani Ceballos has provided some of the necessary nous in midfield, but he is plagued by injuries and inconsistency. In the meantime, serious injuries to Eer Militao, David Alaba and Dani Carvajal robbed in addition to constant problems for Ferland Mendy, Ancelotti of most of his Champions League-winning defense of last season.
Although that was a clear problem, Los Blancos did not act in the summer after the injuries of Alaba, nor in the winter after Carvajal and Militao had collapsed. At the same time, Ancelotti refuses to drop one of his front line littered with stars until an important question mark over the side in recent weeks.
In his very first international job, Ancelotti will be thrown into a different quick cooking points of football. The Italian manager is the very first foreign coach for Brazil, but has history with a number of players and a capacity to cope with that pressure with serenity. Moreover, Ancelotti's track record in Knockout Football is one of the very best, and he has talent to get the best out of the party with a lot of attacking talent.