Carlo Ancelotti Comments on Real Madrid Manager's Job, Cristiano Ronaldo, More

Former Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed he would consider making a return to the La Liga giants, despite being sacked by the club earlier this year.  

The Italian won the Copa del Rey and the Champions League during his first season at the club in 2013-14, but a disappointing second campaign saw him ruthlessly axed. Speaking with ANSA (translated by Steve Mitchell and David Amoyal of GianlucaDiMarzio.com), Ancelotti admitted he could go back but not at the moment: “For sure, I could return to Real, but not at the moment as I've decided to take a year out. Next season I will return to coaching and I would have no problems returning to Madrid, Chelsea or PSG.”

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The coach who took over for Ancelotti at the Santiago Bernabeu is Rafael Benitez, a man who is under major pressure at the club already despite being just months into his tenure. Los Blancos lost 4-0 to rivals Barcelona in the Clasico showdown at the weekend, with Sky Sports Spanish football expert Guillem Balague claiming he'll "probably" be sacked.

Matthew Stanger of Joe.co.uk thinks Real made a big mistake getting rid of Ancelotti and bringing in the former Liverpool boss:

One of the main issues with Benitez’s tenure is his altruistic managerial principles, which have resulted in some patchy form for Los Blancos’ star man Cristiano Ronaldo. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Sport), the relationship between player and manager is so strained, Ronaldo has given the club an “it’s Benitez or me” ultimatum.

But Ancelotti revealed he has conversed with Ronaldo and received no indication there was any issue between the pair, per ANSA: “I've spoken with him and he assures me he has never said anything against Benitez."

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Ronaldo enjoyed a tremendous couple of seasons under Ancelotti, who got the best out of the Portuguese forward in a system founded on ferocious counter-attacking. As we can see here, the ex-Manchester United man made his thoughts clear about his former manager with this social media post at the end of last season:

Ancelotti was also quizzed on targets in the transfer market when he does get back to management, and he revealed a special admiration for one player in particular, Marco Verratti, per ANSA: “If I had to choose two players who I'd like to sign I would say Insigne and Bernadeschi. I also love Baselli and Dybala but my favourite remains the one and only Marco Verratti.”

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Verratti and Ancelotti worked together at Paris Saint-Germain, before the latter moved on to Real Madrid. Under his compatriot, the playmaker made positive strides, but in the past two seasons, under the tutelage of Laurent Blanc, Verratti has blossomed into one of the finest central midfield players in the world.

As we can see here, courtesy of WhoScored.com, Verratti is an assured, penetrative presence at the heart of the PSG team:

Unless he goes back to PSG, it’s unlikely Ancelotti will be working with Verratti any time soon. The midfielder would cost a fortune to prise away from the Parc des Princes, and even if the French champions were to be in receipt of a substantial offer, they’d be reluctant to sell. 

A lot of those associated with Madrid would most likely want Ancelotti back in the hot seat. In a dressing room consisting of many big egos, the Italian seemed to have the managerial expertise to keep everyone pointing in the same direction and united behind a cause. It may be early days, but it doesn’t seem as though Benitez is in possession of those requisite attributes.