Carlo Ancelotti sends out clear message amid leaked doubts from Real Madrid

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has a reputation in Spain for being one of the most affable and amusing around in terms of his press conferences, hence why it stands out so much when he changes his tone. Questioned over Vinicius Junior’s injury, Ancelotti showed a much more steely side to himself.

The Brazilian forward is set to miss the next three weeks with a hamstring issue, with Ancelotti asked on Tuesday whether he should have rested Vinicius more. ‘I’ve made 1300 line-ups, nobody can question me’, was the Italian’s rather blunt response.

According to Cadena SER, part of the reason for this is due to internal doubts at Real Madrid that tend to find their way into the local press. Ancelotti has sensed that whenever things go wrong, or results turn for the worse, his decisions are immediately called into question, despite his success. His words in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Liverpool clash were his way of pounding the table for his work.

Ancelotti is well aware that there is very little in the sense of job security in the Spanish capital, but he has never enjoyed the iron backing that the likes of Zinedine Zidane or Jose Mourinho did back in their time at the club. Rumours continue to persist that they may look to replace Ancelotti with Xabi Alonso sooner rather than later.