The predictions came true last Saturday in the Copa del Rey Final, with Barcelona beating Real Madrid. However, the script for the match was very different from what many had predicted, and Carlo Ancelotti‘s side were 10 minutes away from lifting the title. Real Madrid played their best football of the season in the second half, managing to react to Pedri’s opening goal, and although they ultimately failed to lift the trophy, the performance was much better than expected.
Carlo Ancelotti avoids dismissal
The feeling before the Copa del Rey match was that Barcelona could run over Real Madrid, and after the first 45 minutes, it was feared that the second half would be a carbon copy of what happened in the first leg of the league and in the Super Cup final. However, Real Madrid was the team we had been waiting for all year: with nothing to lose, Carlo Ancelotti came out pressing high, with intensity and commitment. Real Madrid began to win the ball back in attacking areas (something they had not done all season), to pin their opponents back, and the chances began to come thick and fast, and with them, the goals. Two goals put the title within reach for the Whites, but in the end it was not enough to cause an upset.
However, the match left several conclusions for the end of the season: the first is that you can fight until the end; it will be difficult, but there is confidence that a victory can be achieved in just under two weeks in Barcelona to fight and get back into the championship race. The second is that Arda Güler can give the team something it has lacked all year: quality in midfield. The third is that Mbappé can be decisive, and the fourth is that Tchouameni, Bellingham, and Valverde are reaching this final stretch in the best form of the season.
The match against Barcelona could have been the end for Carlo Ancelotti, but now the Italian coach is set to remain on the bench until the last league match on July 25 at the Santiago Bernabéu against Real Sociedad.
The fight for LaLiga
Real Madrid knows that winning LaLiga will be almost impossible, but the math is clear: they must win everything and Barcelona must drop points in one of their four remaining matches. The Champions League tie against Inter means that Hansi Flick’s side have a hellish schedule between now and the end of the season, and they hope to put enough pressure on Barcelona to force them to slip up in one of their remaining games. Barcelona’s last three games are not easy (Espanyol, Villarreal, and Athletic Club), and it is believed that LaLiga is still possible. It would be the best possible send-off for Ancelotti.
Ancelotti faces his last game
Carlo Ancelotti will remain on the Real Madrid bench until the end of the season. His last game will be on May 25 against Real Sociedad. The Italian coach will leave the club when the game ends, regardless of the team’s position in La Liga. The best farewell for him would be to lead Real Madrid to another league title.
On the other hand, Florentino Pérez wants Carlo Ancelotti to leave through the front door. The most successful coach in the club’s history is leaving, and he deserves a tribute and an ovation from the Santiago Bernabéu, and he will get it when the last league game ends.