Carlo Ancelotti kept his cards close to his chest after Real Madrid's wild 4-3 loss to Barcelona on Sunday – a match that may have marked the end of his El Clasico tenure.
“It’s the last one of the season,” Ancelotti said tersely, dodging questions about whether it was his last as Madrid boss.
Speculation swirls around the Italian, with Xabi Alonso tipped to take over at the Bernabeu after announcing his exit from Bayer Leverkusen. Reports suggest Ancelotti is Brazil-bound.
If this was his farewell, it was one to forget.
Despite Kylian Mbappe’s hat trick heroics – his 29th, 30th and 31st goals this season, a record for a Madrid debutant – Los Blancos blew a 2-0 lead and watched their eternal rivals roar back in front of a deafening Montjuic Olympic Stadium.
Barcelona, led by teenage phenom Lamine Yamal and an electric Raphinha, exposed a patchwork Madrid backline missing key figures like Eder Militao, Antonio Rüdiger, Dani Carvajal, Ferland Mendy, and David Alaba.
The Catalans pounced on defensive lapses: Eric Garcia headed in from a corner, Yamal dazzled with a solo effort and Raphinha capitalized on two calamitous errors to net a brace.
“In games like this, you have to defend and attack well,” said Ancelotti after his 350th game in charge. “We created chances but gifted them goals. That’s what cost us.”
The loss leaves Barcelona on the brink of their 28th La Liga crown.
Hansi Flick’s squad sits seven points clear with three games to go and needs just two more points to clinch the title. A win at Espanyol on Thursday would seal the deal – regardless of Madrid’s result at Mallorca.
Despite the sting of a midweek Champions League semifinal exit to Inter Milan, Flick praised his team’s resilience: “To come back from 2-0 down shows the character of this group. We’re not celebrating yet, but the mentality is incredible.”
Real Madrid, meanwhile, face the prospect of finishing a trophyless campaign, having already surrendered their European crown and now likely the league title.
Asked if the season was a failure, Ancelotti was defiant: “People will judge how they want. Our job is to finish strong and win the last three games.”
