Brazil intermediary in stands at Real Madrid-Arsenal to convince Carlo Ancelotti

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti ‘needs a miracle’ to stay in his job for next season read the headline of one paper in the Spanish capital on Thursday morning. The Italian coach is being heavily questioned after his side struggled to put Arsenal under pressure in their quarter-final tie.

Ancelotti himself seemed to leave more room for doubt about his future after the game, noting that ‘I know, and I don’t want to know’, with many considering it the end of a cycle for the Italian. His only hopes of retaining his job hinge on winning the Copa del Rey against rivals Barcelona, and usurping them in La Liga.

Beyond the end of the season, there is the awkward matter of the Club World Cup, due to begin after the season ends in mid-June. Los Blancos will clearly want to have a manager in place for that clash, but bringing someone in during that two-week gap certainly would not be easy.

However Brazil, long-time admirers of Ancelotti, want him to join before their South-American World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay and Ecuador. They have set a deadline of the end of May for Ancelotti to decide his future.

According to Cadena SER, the Confederation of Brazilian Football (CBF) are intensifying contact with Ancelotti in an effort to persuade him to join them. During Real Madrid’s defeat to Arsenal, they had an emissary in the form of Daniel Rodrigues, a businessman closely linked to the CBF, in the stands watching.

At the time of writing, it seems only a matter of time before Ancelotti departs Real Madrid, but judging the Italian still has a year left on his deal at the club. If Los Blancos are keen to keep him for the Club World Cup, it could prove a tricky negotiation for all three parties.