Ancelotti still dreaming of La Liga and Champions League glory
Even while on the back foot, Davide Ancelotti — son of head coach Carlo Ancelotti — hasn’t given up on chasing both the La Liga and Champions League titles.
On Sunday, Real Madrid struggled heavily against relegation-threatened Alavés — not exactly a comforting sign for a club with such high ambitions. But despite the difficult circumstances, assistant coach Davide Ancelotti is choosing to focus on the positives from the hard-earned victory, especially ahead of their crucial clash with Arsenal.
In the La Liga match away at Alavés, Real had to play with 10 men for over an hour after Kylian Mbappé received a red card for a reckless foul. Fortunately, they had already taken the lead through Eduardo Camavinga’s goal, which they held onto for a narrow 1–0 win.
While many were surprised to see Real struggle against the league’s 17th-placed side, Davide wasn’t. He admitted they had anticipated a tough fight from Alavés.
“This win has made us more confident. We knew the battle wouldn’t be easy. Everything that happened in the match (like Mbappé’s red card) made it even harder for us. But this victory gives us an extra boost of confidence for what we want to do on Wednesday.”
Despite the win, Real Madrid still trail league leaders Barcelona by four points. After 31 matches, they sit second with 66 points (20 wins and 6 draws), while Barcelona lead the table with 70.
Last week was particularly rough for Madrid. After losing to Valencia at home in La Liga, they were thrashed 3–0 by Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final in London. The result has left them on the brink of elimination from Europe’s top competition.
With Carlo Ancelotti serving a touchline ban, Davide took charge from the dugout against Alavés. After the match, he spoke with confidence, saying the team is ready to write a remarkable comeback story and book their place in the Champions League semi-final.
When asked which trophy would be easier to win — La Liga or the Champions League — Davide replied, “Both are difficult, and we’ll try to win both.”
“We know that having quality in the squad isn’t enough — we have to prove it and make sure everything goes right. But we all believe we can give our best shot at winning La Liga and the Champions League.”
The return leg against Arsenal kicks off this Wednesday at 1 AM Bangladesh time, at the Santiago Bernabéu.
