Carlo Ancelotti is unsure whether he has coached Real Madrid in the Champions League for the final time, following their 5-1 aggregate defeat to Arsenal in the quarter-final.
Madrid entered Wednesday’s second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu with a mountain to climb after losing 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium last week.
Los Blancos narrowly avoided going 4-0 down on aggregate when Bukayo Saka had a first-half penalty saved by Thibaut Courtois, but that failed to spark them into life as they reached half-time having failed to record a shot on target while amassing just 0.11 expected goals (xG).
Saka gave Arsenal breathing space with a dinked finish midway through the second half, and though Vinicius Junior immediately got one back, Madrid never looked like fighting back and conceded again to Gabriel Martinelli in stoppage time.
Each of Madrid’s last four Champions League eliminations have now come against English opposition.
They also went out to Manchester City in 2019-20 and 2022-23, and Chelsea in 2020-21. But with Los Blancos also outsiders to win LaLiga this campaign, their latest exit feels more damaging than most.
Ancelotti’s future has been a topic of discussion all season, amid suggestions that Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso is the favourite to replace him.
Asked by Movistar if he had overseen his last Champions League game at the Bernabeu, Ancelotti said: “This season… yes, for sure.
“We’ve made a fantastic journey in the last few years, let’s see what happens next season.
“My future? I don’t know, and I don’t want to know either.”
This is the first time Madrid have failed to reach the last four of the Champions League since 2019-20, and just the third time since 2009-10.
They were awarded a penalty at 0-0 after Declan Rice held Kylian Mbappe inside the area, but that spot-kick was subsequently chalked off following a VAR review.
“To change the dynamic of this match we needed something positive, like the penalty the referee awarded then took away,” Ancelotti said.
“The tie was decided in the first leg. We have to be honest. Arsenal deserved to reach the semi-final on the balance of these two games.
“Today is the sad part. This happens and we have to manage the players’ emotions, it has happened to us less often than to other teams.”
Madrid still have plenty to play for this season, though.
They sit four points adrift of Barcelona in LaLiga and face their arch-rivals in the Copa del Rey final in 10 days’ time, while they will also participate in the Club World Cup in June and July.
“We are in the fight for LaLiga, the Copa del Rey and the Club World Cup, this season does not stop,” Ancelotti said. “We have to get up.”
