Spanish media report ‘Ancelotti on the ropes’ after Arsenal defeat | OneFootball

Spanish outlet Marca has placed Carlo Ancelotti at the heart of Real Madrid’s ongoing crisis, warning that his job could hinge on the return leg against Arsenal.

Marca devotes a full spread to Real Madrid’s crisis, describing Carlo Ancelotti as “against the ropes” and dissecting the tactical, physical, and l…

Pressure is mounting on Carlo Ancelotti after Real Madrid‘s 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, with the Spanish press now openly questioning his future.

In a front-page feature by Marca, journalist Juan Ignacio García-Ochoa writes that a “series of errors” have left the Italian manager “on the ropes” ahead of the return leg at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Marca front page declares Ancelotti needs a remontada – a dramatic second-leg comeback – warning that his future at Real Madrid could be in jeopard…

Until recently, Ancelotti appeared to enjoy near-unanimous backing from both the club and its supporters. That support is now in jeopardy.

Marca describes next week’s second leg as not just a fight for a semi-final berth, but a moment that could determine the “credibility of his project” and even “his position next season.”

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Among the criticisms levelled at Ancelotti is the team’s structural fragility, which he has openly admitted. “We haven’t been compact all season,” he said after the loss in London. “We are not a balanced team, but we have a lot of quality up front,” he conceded just a week earlier after narrowly progressing in the Copa del Rey.

That imbalance has been exposed repeatedly this year, with Real Madrid having already lost 11 times in all competitions, compared to just two defeats the entire previous season.

The article also highlights the club’s loss of identity in possession since the departure of Toni Kroos.

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Madrid no longer has a player capable of dictating tempo or building from deep. Neither Luka Modrić nor Dani Ceballos has consistently filled that void, and Ancelotti’s careful management of Modrić’s minutes, coupled with Ceballos’s recent injury, has further weakened the midfield. The latter had hoped to return from a two-month injury (after just one month) to face his former club but failed to recover in time and is now a doubt for the second leg.

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Questions also swirl around Ancelotti’s in-game management. His tendency to delay substitutions, even in matches that demand urgent changes, has become a regular talking point.

Against Arsenal, Brahim Díaz was brought on with just five minutes remaining, while young players like Endrick and Arda Güler remained on the bench. Fans and media alike are beginning to see a pattern: slow reactions, unused changes, and a lack of tactical spark from the bench.

Fitness concerns also compound the tactical issues, say Marca. Several players are reportedly struggling to maintain form, leading to a perception of a team that lacks intensity, coherence, and belief.

Madrid has now lost five matches in the Champions League this season alone, an unthinkable number for a club of its stature.

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Internally, the atmosphere is said to be cautious but not yet panicked. Club officials continue to emphasise the weight of the shirt and the expectation of their ability to recover.

According to the piece, they are “immediately” relaying that message to the squad with a clear directive to “set egos aside and become a team again.” That task, of course, rests squarely with Ancelotti.

The article closes with a stark assessment: the return leg may determine not only the fate of Madrid’s Champions League campaign but the viability of Ancelotti’s entire project. The 11 defeats, a second-place standing in LaLiga behind Barcelona, and a narrow path through the Copa del Rey, all point to a season where Real Madrid has, in Marca’s words, “lost its solidity.”

Whether Ancelotti can recover it, starting with the second leg against Arsenal, is the question now dominating Spanish football’s front pages.