Carlo Ancelotti believes Xabi Alonso will be “successful without any problem” at Real Madrid despite recent criticism hurled the way of the Spanish boss.
Alonso took over the biggest club in the world this summer after Ancelotti, who is the winningest manager in Real Madrid history, bid farewell to the Spanish capital at the end of last season.
The former Bayer Leverkusen manager got off a near-perfect start in 2025–26, leading Los Blancos to 13 wins in 14 matches across all competitions. Yet two back-to-back blunders ahead of the November international break have put Alonso under pressure, a feeling Ancelotti knows all too well.
“[Real Madrid have] won almost every match, but unfortunately, in football, you can’t always win. Sometimes you have to draw. One thing I learned at Real Madrid is that a draw here is the prelude to a crisis,” Ancelotti told .
“We already know that the best evaluation of a coach is results, and so far, the results have been spectacular. Sole leaders in La Liga and among the top eight in the Champions League. What more can we ask of Xabi?” the 66-year-old said.
Indeed, Real Madrid sit top of La Liga with 31 points through 12 matches, but a goalless draw with Rayo Vallecano last weekend dwindled their gap ahead of Barcelona to just three points. In the Champions League, Alonso’s men are in seventh place after falling 1–0 to Liverpool at Anfield.
