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Carlo Ancelotti has admitted that he is open to a return to Spain to manage Real Madrid as the pressure on current manager Rafael Benitez intensifies at the Bernabeu. The former Madrid manager was speaking to RAI Radio in Italy.
Benitez oversaw a humiliating El Clasico defeat on Saturday as Los Blancos were hammered 4-0 at home by arch rivals Barcelona. Luis Suarez scored two goals while Neymar and Andres Iniesta also found the net in what was a thoroughly one-sided affair.
Since the match, speculation is rife that Benitez would be shown the door soon, however, he was handed a seemingly temporary breathing space by club president Florentino Perez on Monday, who rubbished the rumors and maintained that the manager has a good relationship with the players, the directors, and especially with the President himself.
Benitez surely would not be able to survive many such results for the Blancos, who meet Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League midweek.
Ancelotti, who was replaced by the Spaniard as Madrid coach at the end of last season, has admitted that he would not rule out returning to his former club, where he won the Champions League in 2014.
Ancelotti told Italian radio station RAI, according to ESPNFC: “If Perez called me back to Real Madrid? I decided to take a year off, I already told you. Many teams have tried for me, but I preferred to stay away for a year.”
“Start again with Real after a year? Why not, I would go back to Real, just like I would go back to Paris Saint-Germain or Chelsea.”
Real suffered tactically against Barca in Clasico: Ancelotti
Ancelotti believes, there is no dispute between Ronaldo and Benitez, and added that it is too early in the season to label the campaign a disaster.
“It's still early days and I think his players have the quality and ability to resolve such a situation, which is very complicated," Ancelotti said.
"It was a nightmare for all the Real fans, who saw an extremely strong Barcelona side make their Real suffer.”
“It's difficult to judge from the outside how things are within the dressing room. They suffered tactically, trying to press high up the field against a side who were comfortable just controlling the ball and this is what made the difference.”
The Italian manager trusts his replacement to turn things around at the Bernabeu.
“Each coach has his own ideas, though. I was accused of picking the team that [Milan president Silvio] Berlusconi wanted for years, and even in Madrid I was accused of naming the team according to the president's desires.”
“Benitez has his own ideas and he puts these into action on the field, and it's always best to sink using your own ideas than those of somebody else.”
