Real Madrid vs. Barcelona: 5 burning questions after an unacceptable loss

How can Carlo Ancelotti survive after this season?

And that leads me to ask the final question, the most pressing question that Madridistas are discussing. There seems to be nobody left to defend Carlo Ancelotti, other than the fans of mediocre clubs like Arsenal that pretend to be Real Madrid fans on the side. You know, the people who say that Madridistas are being “too mean” or “too reactionary” because they find it unacceptable to lose 4-0 to their most historic, most despised rivals on their own turf.

Carlo Ancelotti is the main man to blame. He was the main man to blame for the awful performance against PSG. For the awful performance against Elche. For the awful performance against Athletic Club. For disaster after disaster that he has survived, this is the one he cannot survive. Because Florentino Perez is like us. He is a Madridista who does not accept a 4-0 loss to Barcelona. A loss that might as well have been 10-0 and could have been 8-0, based on the way the game went.

We clowned Barcelona fans for their whole “pride in defeat” thing, but there’s a reason why the mood in Barcelona was jubilant after their narrow 3-2 loss to Real Madrid in the Suercopa. Clasicos tell you how things are really trending, and Barcelona were indeed trending in the right direction. Since losing their cup games, they are undefeated. And now, they embarrassed Real in the most vengeful way possible, atoning for five consecutive Clasico defeats.

Real Madrid can rebound from this, easily. But like Barcelona, they cannot rebound with complacency. They must make major changes. Joan Laporta did. What will be Perez’s next move? Firing Ancelotti during the season isn’t going to happen. And getting rid of him after the season is just obvious. He cannot survive this. He was exposed for the world to see as a once-great manager who is no longer at the Real Madrid level.

The real question is, what else will Real do to respond? The transfer market beckons…and Kylian Mbappe alone is not enough. Mbappe wants the strongest sporting project, as does Erling Haaland. Barcelona just showed the weaknesses in Real’s project, with Carlo at the top of the list.