Real Madrid, Brazil and Carlo Ancelotti appear to have come to an awkward understanding over the Italian. Ancelotti will continue his work at Real Madrid until the end of the coming season, before joining Brazil for the Copa America tournament. Yet dividing the line between the two jobs is not quite as simple as it may seem.
“I don’t know Ancelotti personally,” said interim manager Fernando Diniz.
“The condition is clear, to carry out my work I have autonomy and freedom to make the calls. I do not depend on Ancelotti. The president was clear on that. I talk to a lot of people, I would never be able to do the things I do alone.”
It appears as if Ancelotti will very much be coming into Diniz’s team, and he will be in charge until that point, but Marca have highlighted some potential issues with his job over the coming year. Knowing Ancelotti’s people skills, there are few better to navigate the situation, but that does not make it less tricky.
The chief matter has to be Ancelotti’s job security. The Italian has hit troubled times on one or two occasions since returning to Real Madrid, but with typical calmness, has ridden those situations out. However knowing that Ancelotti will not be there next season anyway, the temptation for Florentino Perez to move on will be heightened if they hit a rough patch.
One of the things that makes Ancelotti so successful at Real Madrid is hit ability to bring stability to the club, but that looks more difficult than usual.
Meanwhile, there is also the vested interest Ancelotti will have in ensuring his Brazilian players remain fit, healthy and happy. While there is no way that Ancelotti would prioritise Brazil over Los Blancos, subconsciously there may be more temptation to ensure that the Brazilian element of the squad (Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes, Eder Militao) are not frustrated with him, knowing he cannot afford a breakdown in relations for his next job.
Ancelotti’s skill at managing dressing rooms would suggest that is somewhat unlikely to occur, but every Real Madrid manager is always being questioned, and this will not ease the pressure.
Finally, with the Copa America around the corner next season, it remains to be seen whether Ancelotti will, or will be able to, dedicate time to watching all of the Brazilian players ahead of the tournament. Unless Ancelotti outsources that job entirely, then he will have to build up his knowledge of Brazil’s options before naming his tournament squad.