Hansi Flick launches impassioned defence of Carlo Ancelotti amid sack speculation
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has labelled Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti as “one of the best coaches in the world” amid speculation over the Italian’s future at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
Rumours regarding the increasingly imminent dismissal of Ancelotti intensified after Madrid’s Champions League quarter-final exit at the hands of Arsenal, with reports suggesting that the 65-year-old could be sacked after the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona on Saturday night.
Madrid’s underperformance in La Liga, where they trail Barcelona by seven points before a clash with Getafe on Wednesday, has been another source of frustration among the club’s fanbase and hierarchy, although Ancelotti has dismissed talks of a fallout between himself and the higher-ups.
This is expected to be Ancelotti’s final season with Los Blancos – a move to manage the Brazil national team looks probable – but his opposite number at Barcelona has come to his defence.
“Real Madrid have one of the best coaches in the world. It’s not nice to see what happened to Ancelotti,” Flick said.
“He won everything at every club, he’s a gentleman, I have the highest respect for him. It’s great [to] see him again this weekend, he’s [an] unbelievable coach.”
Barcelona are close to reclaiming La Liga from Madrid’s grasp after their narrow 1-0 win over Mallorca on Tuesday night and are capable of piling more misery on Ancelotti and his players this weekend in the Copa del Rey.
Should Madrid lose the weekend’s showpiece event and finish behind Barcelona in the league, they will conclude the season without major domestic or European silverware – although they did win the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Intercontinental Cup, with the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup still to come.
Unsurprisingly, the pressure has risen on Ancelotti as a result and former Madrid midfielder turned Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso is the leading candidate to replace the veteran in the Bernabeu dugout next term.
