Low to replace Ancelotti? Real Madrid rumours nothing but mischief making

Stuart Telford

• 13 Apr 2022 12:26 BST
• 4 min read

Real Madrid could be ready to replace Carlo Ancelotti with Joachim Low, according to Catalan media - speculation which seems wildly out of place given the trajectory of Los Blancos' season.

Ancelotti has steered Real to the top of La Liga, with a 12-point cushion on second-placed Barcelona, a record-extending 35th league title seemingly theirs to lose. The 13-time European Champions are also into the UEFA Champions League semi-finals after beating holders Chelsea 5-4 on aggregate.

In his second spell at the club having picked up five major honours in his previous stay between 2013 and 2015, surely Ancelotti's current tenure could hardly look safer? Well, not according to Catalan newspaper El Nacional.

'Florentino Perez doubts'

"Florentina Perez has been doubting for weeks whether Carlo Ancelotti should stay at Real Madrid," they report. "Now... it seems Perez will end up activating the plan he has had in his head for a long time, that of dismissing the Italian at the end of the season and giving Low the Galactico project."

Despite Real's numbers this season, recent results might have given fuel to such a fire. Madrid were handily beaten 4-0 by Barcelona in the most recent Clasico, and their aggregate victory over Chelsea masks the fact that the second leg saw them beaten 3-2 at home, having been on their way out until 10 minutes from time.

Ancelotti was previously relieved of his duties, despite the aforementioned silverware, in 2015, with Perez saying the Italian "had won the hearts of both the board and fans, and would always have a place in the club's history because he was the coach that led them to the Decima.

"However at this club the demands are huge, and we need a new impulse in order to win trophies and be at our best."

Real Madrid recovering

But this time he returned to a club in relative turmoil, Real having surrendered the league title to city rivals Atletico and without a Champions League triumph in three years and counting. When Ancelotti left Everton for Real, coach and club were relieved to be reunited.

The Barcelona result was one game in a season which has returned 72 points from 31 games. Real have scored the most goals (63) and conceded the second-fewest (26). Youth and experience are flourishing side by side: 34-year-old Karim Benzema has 38 goals in 38 games in all competitions; 21-year-old Vinicius Junior has contributed 17 goals and 17 assists alongside him.

EL Nacional go on to say: "Low is crazy about the idea of taking over at Real Madrid" and that the coach "gained great prestige in leading Germany to the World Cup in 2014. He has experience leading a dressing room with big stars and has a huge ability to implement his gameplan".

A new Low

Such assertions seem wildly dated today. Low did indeed make Germany world champions, four years before he saw them dumped out of the 2018 World Cup in Russia at the group stage, defeats to Mexico and South Korea thrown in.

He then painted himself into a corner publicly ostracising then-Bayern Munich trio Thomas Muller, Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels. The very next season, Muller set a single-season assists record in the Bundesliga with 21, surpassing a mark set by Kevin De Bruyne for Wolfsburg in 2015.

More recently, there was defeat to North Macedonia and a 6-0 thrashing by Spain. To say Low can still inspire a dressing room seems generous at best.

Real Madrid are lucky to have Ancelotti and they know it. So do the Catalan press.