Ancelotti highlights 'honeymoon' with Real Madrid and praises Xabi Alonso: 'All doors open'

On the eve of the derby between Barcelona and Real Madrid in the Spanish Championship , coach Carlo Ancelotti was once again questioned about his possible departure from the Merengue team and about the speculation surrounding the arrival of Xabi Alonso , who on Friday announced his departure from Bayer Leverkusen .

Ancelotti praised the work of Alonso, who has been widely tipped for a possible return to Real Madrid after leading the German club to the Bundesliga title last season. "I read that Xabi is leaving Bayer Leverkusen, where he did a fantastic job," Ancelotti told a news conference on Saturday. "All doors are open to him because he has shown that he is one of the best coaches in the world," he added.

Ancelotti has again refused to discuss his future, especially ahead of Sunday's crucial La Liga clash with Barcelona. Real Madrid trail their Catalan rivals by four points and need to win to keep alive their chances of winning a trophy this season.

On the other hand, the Italian manager described his relationship with Real Madrid, the club he spent six seasons with, as an eternal "honeymoon". "The honeymoon with this club never ends. I think Real Madrid, like Milan before, are the teams that stay with me, given the time I spent here," he said. "In the beginning, there is passion, and when that disappears, other feelings emerge, a feeling of affection. My honeymoon with Real Madrid will last as long as I live."

The 65-year-old has a contract until next season but is expected to leave after a disappointing season at Real Madrid, despite the signing of Kylian Mbappe. The CBF is trying to convince the coach to take over the Brazilian national team.

Regarding the clash with Barcelona, ​​Ancelotti highlighted the difficulty of facing Barcelona and sent a message to his players. "Playing against Barcelona is always complicated, even more so this season. You can try to surprise them in transitions because of the high line, the offside trap, or in set pieces. There are many things that I have spoken to the players about and we have worked on in training. If they listen to me, it will work out," he said.