Carlo Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso, and Álvaro Arbeloa. / EFE
Real Madrid has gone a full season without winning a trophy for the first time in 16 years. It marks only the third time this century the club has ended a campaign empty-handed (2008-09, 2009-10). The first of those barren years saw Bernd Schuster and Juande Ramos share the dugout, while Manuel Pellegrini was in charge for the second. Now, Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa have shared the burden of failure.
Social Peace
During his second stint at Real Madrid (2021-2025), the Italian manager won 13 trophies, adding to the two he secured in his first spell (2013-15). Despite being the most decorated coach in Madrid’s history, he left the club last summer under a cloud to take over the Brazilian national team. Ancelotti lost the battle with a dressing room that stopped listening to him. Players began to do their own thing, waging individual wars despite the Italian’s attempts to instill teamwork. His mantra of “play with head, heart, and courage” no longer resonated, and he eventually resigned himself to the situation. However, he did manage one thing: maintaining social peace in the locker room.
Ancelotti surrounded by the team. / EFE
The Italian earned respect on a personal level. He knew how to manage players’ egos to keep them in line. Xabi Alonso landed hastily in the managerial hot seat for the Club World Cup, but his aura was far from that of his predecessor. The players did not respect him from the start, and each tried to impose their whims.
Similar Statistics
Arbeloa was more of the same. He may have commanded more respect than his friend Xabi, handling individual players better on a personal level, but he failed to avoid confrontations (Carvajal, Asencio, Ceballos, Carreras…) and, crucially, was unable to maintain social peace among the players themselves. From there, he began to lose both the battle and the matches.
Statistically, Ancelotti’s numbers from last year are similar to, if not as bad as, those of his two successors. With three fewer games this season, they have lost the same number of matches: 14. In goals scored, last season was better (137 compared to 123 combined under Xabi and Arbeloa). In points accumulated, with nine still to play, they had 130 a year ago versus 123 this season.
