Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid are looking good – but it’s not all perfect

Carlo Ancelotti’s second spell in charge at Real Madrid might be best characterised by his skill in keeping the dressing room happy while finding a good tactical fit for the squad at his disposal.

If that sounds familiar, it’s because the Italian has long been regarded as a talented ‘players’ coach’ — and Madrid’s impressive form so far this season further reflects the qualities he brings. But that does not mean that his relationship with each member of his group is perfect.

On the contrary, several Madrid players have been left unhappy with the reduced role they have been given this term, and Ancelotti has sometimes veered away from his usual diplomatic tone when faced with recent questions on the topic.

“I don’t have to give explanations” has been a regular response from Ancelotti to queries on selection issues. The coach prefers not to discuss his choices in depth internally too, unless a player asks him to do so directly.

Of the 37 matches Ancelotti’s Madrid have played over 2023-24 they have won 30, drawn five and lost just two (both were defeats at Atletico Madrid, in the league and the Copa del Rey last 16).

They lead La Liga by six points and are in a promising position to progress to the Champions League quarter-finals. All this has come after the departure of last season’s top-scorer Karim Benzema necessitated a change in tactical system and with key players David Alaba, Eder Militao and Thibaut Courtois absent through long-term injuries.

Ancelotti is in a position of strength right now and has not long since signed a new contract extension up to 2026, so there should not be any immediate worries over his future. Instead, the minor issues facing him reflect the particular demands of managing Madrid.

“It’s difficult to blame this team for anything,” he said after their 1-1 La Liga draw at Rayo Vallecano on February 18. But at the Santiago Bernabeu, there is always something to improve.

Luka Modric

Modric’s case is probably the one that has attracted the most attention of late — it has even been described as Ancelotti’s “weakest point” in some recent media reports in Spain.

That description of ‘weakness’ is probably best understood as a sign of Modric’s enduring popularity among the club’s fans, who would dearly like to see more moments of magic from the 38-year-old, such as the winning goal he curled in against Sevilla on Sunday night.

Modric is the team’s 15th most-used player this term (for context: last season, he ranked 11th). He would certainly like to play more, and sources close to him — who, like all those cited in this article preferred to speak anonymously to protect their position — describe their disappointment at the reduced role he has had. They say they were promised he would feature more regularly when deciding to renew for another year last season.

Earlier this term, Modric and Ancelotti held a meeting at which it was explained to the Croatian that he would have something of a diminished role, playing more from the bench. From that point, Modric has understood that there is a new strategy to favour the development of Madrid’s younger players — but he still believes he has shown he can play a bigger part than he has been afforded.

Sources close to Ancelotti say that he has always been honest with Modric and that they have a good relationship. The Croatian midfielder’s contract is also due to expire at the end of June, and he was recently offered the chance to join Ancelotti’s coaching staff if he decides to retire.

Modric’s response was to turn it down. Sources with knowledge of the situation say that it wasn’t a “definitive ‘no’”, but those around him think it unlikely he will take up the offer. He does not have his coaching badges but, more importantly, his priority is to continue playing.

After Modric’s winning goal against Sevilla, Ancelotti said: “It’s in Luka’s hand what he wants to do. We have to wait for his decision. Out of respect for him, I can’t give him advice. He knows perfectly well what he has to do. The quality of the minutes is more important than the quantity.”

Arda Guler

Turkish attacking midfielder Guler, who turned 19 on Sunday, was one of the big revelations of Madrid’s early pre-season. There was much excitement over his talent before the injury problems started.

A knee operation and two thigh muscle injuries later, he has made just five appearances in all competitions this term, playing just 92 minutes. He was one of the big bets of Madrid’s recruitment department, led by Juni Calafat, but Ancelotti has wanted to be patient and the Italian believes he could do with being stronger physically.

Guler only made his debut six months after signing for Madrid and that caused him to feel “depressed”, as his Italian coach put it. Now that he has recovered to full fitness, Guler twice missed out on further chances to show what he can do, and this has clearly left him further frustrated.

In the January league match against Almeria, he threw his training bib to the ground after Ancelotti decided against bringing him on, despite him having warmed up for the whole second half. On Sunday against Sevilla, he was stripped and ready to come on, only for Madrid’s manager to change his mind after Modric’s goal.

Guler has only played 92 minutes since signing in the summer (Burak Akbulut/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“I had a thought before Modric’s goal and then I changed it,” Ancelotti said after the match. “It was better to have (Dani) Ceballos on the wing. It’s not so complicated and I don’t have to explain myself. If he (Guler) doesn’t understand it, nothing happens.”

The Italian’s answer to a question from The Athletic hinted at the tensions that have grown between the coaching staff’s focus on getting results and the ambitions of a bright young star. He is another Madrid player upset with the few chances he’s been given.

Nacho Fernandez

Because of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries suffered by Militao and Alaba, Nacho has become the team’s second most-used central defender so far this season, behind Antonio Rudiger.

Throughout his 14 years at Madrid, the Spaniard has always played something of a fringe role, but last term he almost decided to leave over his lack of playing time, having made just one La Liga appearance by January.

Compared to last season, the 34-year-old has been left feeling far more positive about his position within the squad this term. This was also greatly helped by the fact he was made the team’s official captain, as its most senior player, following Benzema’s departure.

However, his relationship with Ancelotti has still been a little strained. The centre-back has been frustrated by recent decisions to substitute him when things have not gone to plan. He was taken off against Almeria when Madrid were 2-0 down at half-time and was also withdrawn against Sevilla on Sunday, with his replacement Modric scoring the winner.

Nacho does not feel he has his manager’s full confidence, but in truth, despite his increased playing time he is not having his best season — and twice he has been sent off (at Girona in September and at Deportivo Alaves in December).

Ancelotti has often spoken highly of Nacho, praising his professionalism and commitment. Sources close to the coaching staff believe that he has earned the right to decide his future because he has a great history with the club, and they downplay any problems because they believe he is getting plenty of playing time.

Nacho’s contract expires in June and, as he himself acknowledged before the Supercopa de Espana final against Barcelona, his renewal depends on him. “If tomorrow I want to sign for Madrid, I could sign,” he said. “I don’t have any problem. Whether there is a signature or not on paper is not going to change my future.”

The home-grown question

“I have a lot of confidence in the youth team. Raul is doing a fantastic job,” Ancelotti said in November. At that point, Madrid were missing eight first-team players through injury, and it had been suggested that Real Madrid Castilla (the club’s reserve side made up of youth players and managed by Raul) might provide a solution.

Nico Paz is the Castilla youngster with the most minutes played for Madrid this season with 127 — and the 19-year-old scored a match-winning goal at home to Napoli in the Champions League group stage.

Centre-back Alvaro Carrillo has recently stepped in (he has played 90 minutes), as well as right-back Vinicius Tobias (88 minutes), defensive midfielder Mario Martin (20 minutes) and striker Gonzalo Garcia (17 minutes).

Paz scored the winner against Napoli at the Santiago Bernabeu (Oscar del Pozo/AFP via Getty Images)

It was expected that centre-forward Alvaro Rodriguez might play more of a role this season too, but Joselu’s summer arrival shut that door and the 19-year-old — who broke through with a bang last season — has only enjoyed two minutes on the pitch.

Some Madrid fans would dearly like to see more of the club’s youngsters given opportunities in the first team, but the reality is that this seldom happens at the Bernabeu.

A more common route to the first team is via the so-called ‘Via Carvajal’ — referencing how Dani Carvajal (and several others, including summer re-signing Fran Garcia) left the club after graduating through the academy, before being re-purchased. Madrid often insert favourable future transfer options in the deals to move on their academy products.

The club has made it clear for many years that its La Fabrica youth academy is focused on training players for professional football, but not specifically for the first team, where competition is very strong.

The goalkeeper situation

Kepa Arrizabalaga was signed on loan from Chelsea to be Courtois’ replacement after the Belgian suffered an ACL injury just before the season started.

Andriy Lunin has now established himself in the position instead, with Arrizabalaga extremely disappointed. But Ancelotti has not fully explained which of the two is his preferred choice now and why. Sources close to Arrizabalaga say he is not happy with his circumstances and that they would have appreciated more clarity on the issue from the manager.

That feels a little unfair to him. A more positive view of the situation might be that, by not committing publicly to either, the opportunity was left open for each player to convince with performances on the pitch.

Arrizabalaga has lost his starting place in Ancelotti’s side (Federico Titone/Anadolu via Getty Images)

After Arrizabalaga was injured, a series of impressive displays from Lunin strengthened his position, and there were also a few below-par performances from Arrizabalaga when he came back.

Lunin, 25, believes he is now answering the doubts that were hanging over him not so long ago. Club sources still describe him as “a great backup for Courtois,” but talks have not begun on renewing his contract, which expires in 2025. Lunin’s entourage believes that negotiations will start soon and that there is goodwill on the part of the club to extend.

Meanwhile, Arrizabalaga’s Chelsea contract also expires at the end of next season. This summer might be the best chance for the London club to seek a sale, but Madrid signing him is highly unlikely given Chelsea would ask for around €20million (£17.1m; $21.6m at current rates) — a figure the La Liga side would not pay for a No 2 goalkeeper.

(Top photos: Getty Images)