Ancelotti's saddest days: Mariann and Katia's refuge, Florentino's support, and the fear of losing the "absolute happiness" of Madrid.

It's been a complicated 10 days for Carlo Ancelotti . Perhaps his last. Well, actually, it's been a " strange " year for him, as those who know him best at Valdebebas define it. Elevated to the altars of Real Madridism after the League , the European Cup won at Wembley and the Intercontinental Cup , which placed him as the most successful coach in the history of Real Madrid , during the European Super Cup in Warsaw and especially in the draw in Mallorca on the first matchday of the League, back on August 14, he already noticed that something in the locker room wasn't flowing as it had been a couple of months ago. Now he arrives at La Cartuja with the fear of goodbye in his body, the hope of continuing looming on the horizon and the criticism on his shoulders.

A defeat condemns him definitively, and a victory gives him an extra ticket to that " absolute happiness ," they say, that coaching Madrid and, no less importantly, living in the capital means to him. And Carlo, despite the talk of an offer from Brazil that he hasn't received since 2023, doesn't want to leave Spain.

The defeat against Arsenal, more due to feelings than the result, led him to seek refuge in his family , especially his wife, Mariann , and his daughter, Katia , whose birthday he celebrated last week. Family is his home and his work . There's Davide , his son and assistant, and Mino , his daughter's husband and nutritionist. There's also Francesco Mauri , Giovanni 's son, Carletto 's coach for years and the third voice on the bench behind Davide. It all stays within the family and within the closest circle. And, as they admit, some of the most important conversations about work come around the family table. Sometimes football and pressure are that unavoidable.

Florentino and the differences with 2015

These have been different days from those of the spring of 2015 , when, after losing to Juventus in the Champions League semi-finals and ending the year feeling empty, he knew his time at the Bernabéu was over. His relationship with Florentino Perez wasn't entirely good, and cutting things short was the best option for everyone. Now things are different. The titles of recent years, age, and experience have brought the president and coach closer than ever, and Ancelotti has found encouragement and support in Pérez, beyond the self-criticism of this season.

The Madrid president renewed the Italian's contract in December 2023, just after the coach's refusal to Brazil, which had been approached through Kaká . Florentino Perez gave him a contract until 2026. His confidence was absolute. After that came last year's double and this year's complications.

Florentino will likely decide to end Carletto 's time at the club, but he will leave with all the honors and forever united with the club, not at war or through the back door.

And because of this connection with the president and the Italian's personality, we understand why Ancelotti waved the flag for much of the season. The continental fiasco ultimately confirmed the three key points the coach has been reflecting on throughout the season with his inner circle.

The first is the dangers of having a " belly full " of titles. This aspect was marked by the short summer break between the European Championship and the Copa América, and the return to training for the European Super Cup, just a few days for the internationals. There was no rest, and he discovered a dressing room that could struggle to recover mentally.

The second is physical preparation . The team's injuries have been due to the short summer break or bad luck. Antonio Pintus is responsible for preparing the locker room, and the infirmary hasn't been empty throughout the season.

Do not raise your voice

Finally, and also linked to the injuries, there are doubts about the squad planning, which is why Ancelotti decided not to speak out. " He's never entered into a media war with any club, and now even less so, " they explain at Valdebebas, where he appears more "serious" and "sad" than usual. In the summer, he accepted the difficulty of losing Kroos and fitting in Mbappé while keeping Rodrygo , a key player for the club's medium- and long-term project, who rejected interest from Manchester City . Who could say "no" to trying to build an attack with those names?

But over time, injuries to Carvajal and Militao further unsettled the squad on and off the field. The absence of Dani, a leading voice in the locker room, was felt on the pitch and in the attitude of many players. Madrid's refusal to reinforce its rotation in the winter also met with public rejection from Ancelotti, who had remained faithful to the confidence he had shown in Florentino after the renewal.

Carletto is pinning his hopes on that confidence, and on a victory at La Cartuja. He knows Brazil will always be there, as will some English clubs, but his first choice is Madrid and Madrid.