Ancelotti enjoys the job but feels pressure at Real

Madrid — Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is happy with his team’s season so far as they lead LaLiga and prepare to host RB Leipzig on Wednesday with a 1-0 lead in their Champions League last-16 second leg tie but the Italian said his job still involved a lot of suffering.

Talking to the media on Tuesday, the 64-year-old reflected on the personal burden that comes with being Real Madrid manager and the struggle to handle the mental challenge facing the players and staff in such a competitive environment.

“My work is more about suffering than happiness,” Ancelotti said. “I love my job, even more at Real Madrid because it’s the perfect club in the world to do what I do. But about my work as a whole, it is more about suffering because of the situations that you manage on a daily basis.

“It’s not only winning that makes you happy and despite a win there are people around you that are not happy. It could be a player that has not played ... that has an impact on general happiness.”

A little more than two months after extending his Real Madrid contract until 2026 following months of uncertainty over his future, with Brazil’s football association targeting him to take over as manager, Ancelotti’s Real top LaLiga after one defeat in 27 matches.

Unbeaten in the Champions League as they resume their bid for a record-extending 15th European Cup triumph, Ancelotti said he was thrilled with where his team stands, despite injuries to key players such as goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois plus defenders David Alaba and Eder Militao with anterior cruciate ligament tears, but added that it will be worth nothing if they do not close the season on a high.

“We have to pursue the dream of winning this competition [Champions League]. So far we have done well, but there are still two to three months to go,” Ancelotti said.

Reuters