Though Real Madrid exited the Champions League with a humbling 4-0 semi-final defeat to Manchester City, Carlo Ancelotti still expects to be in charge of the club next season.
Wednesday night's game was Ancelotti's 191st match as a manager in the Champions League, moving him past the record of Alex Ferguson. It was also Madrid's joint-heaviest Champions League defeat. They also lost 4-0 to Liverpool in 2009.
"We have lost to a team with more quality and more intensity than us," Ancelotti told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"Last year we were superior, and this year they were superior. It’s a defeat that hurts a lot. They’ve been much better, there’s no other choice but to think about next season.
"Next season, I will be here to fight to win another Champions League. No one doubts me. I think the president was very clear 15 days ago. What he tells me in private, I’m not going to say here."
Carlo is here to stay 👊 pic.twitter.com/7TzYz0YVZc
— LiveScore (@livescore) May 17, 2023
Luka Modric, Vinicius Junior and Toni Kroos were among the players to express their support for Ancelotti after the game.
"The coach deserves to continue," Modric told Marca.
"I have no doubt. Since he arrived in his second stage, he has won all of the titles. Last year was an incredible season. This season until the World Cup we were very good in La Liga fighting for everything, then defeats came that we did not want to have, they were not foreseen.
"It’s football but I think that in the Cup and in the Champions League we have done very well. For this reason, for me, there is no doubt about his continuity. He deserves it for everything he does and has done, what he brings to the team with his experience. For this defeat there is no need to cause any drama."
SILVA DOUBLES HIS & MAN CITY'S TALLY!!! ⚽️⚽️
They're just one hour away from another #UCL Final 🤩 pic.twitter.com/YIm37PmY5k— Watch the UCL on LiveScore 🇮🇪 (@LiveScoreIE) May 17, 2023