Ancelotti questioned as Real Madrid face Alaves

BARCELONA: Carlo Ancelotti and his faltering Real Madrid side are under the microscope ahead of their visit to Alaves on Sunday, fighting to break out of a slump and stay in the La Liga title race.

Los Blancos are four points behind leaders Barcelona, who visit Leganes on Saturday, and need to bounce back from their 3-0 thrashing by Arsenal on Tuesday in the Champions League.

Madrid host Arsenal on Wednesday in the second leg of that tie, in which they insist they can come back, but by focussing on that they would be at risk of slipping up in Vitoria. Alaves, 17th, are fighting for La Liga survival and despite Madrid´s status as Spanish and European champions, will believe they can get at Ancelotti´s fragile side.

They have let in 11 goals in the last four games and have suffered two consecutive defeats, by Arsenal and last weekend in La Liga against Valencia. “I feel responsible for what happened,” admitted Ancelotti after the crushing loss at the Emirates.

Madrid´s defeat has led to reports in Spanish media that they will not keep coach Ancelotti beyond the end of the season, with Bayer Leverkusen´s Xabi Alonso, a former Madrid star, linked. After just two defeats across all competitions last season, this season Madrid have suffered 11.

“Ancelotti is playing... for the credibility of his project, and maybe his position ahead of next season,” wrote Madrid daily Marca. Ancelotti may insist his team work together more against Alaves, criticising his collection of stars for trying to fight their way back individually after Declan Rice´s free-kick double for Arsenal.

“We were not capable of a joint reaction, united,” reasoned the coach. “We tried too many individual moves, and that cost us because we lost our order, and from there they controlled the ball and the result.”

The coach said his team has struggled throughout the current campaign to defend as a unit. “It´s something we´ve had a problem with through the season, the difficulty of being a compact block in the good moments but also in the ones which are not good,” he added.

Madrid are hopeful Dani Ceballos can return to the squad for the Alaves match, with the midfielder out since February with a leg injury. The former Arsenal playmaker has found form this season and his absence further exacerbates Madrid´s difficulty in coping without departed midfield maestro Toni Kroos, who left last summer.