“Next season, it will be different” - Outgoing Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti sends message to Barcelona winning La Liga

Outgoing Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has admitted that Barcelona deserved to win La Liga this season but that things won't be the same next year. The Italian is leaving Los Blancos at the end of the campaign.

Ancelotti saw his side bested by Barca in both league outings, losing 4-0 at home in October and 4-2 at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys earlier this month. The latter defeat effectively ended Los Blancos' title defence, as it put them seven points behind the leaders with three games to go.

Madrid had started strong, bursting into a two-goal lead inside 14 minutes only to see Barca score four times before the break. Although Mbappe completed his hat-trick in the 70th minute to reduce arrears, an equaliser wasn't to be.

Ancelotti, who's leaving Madrid to take over the Brazil job at the end of the season, had no qualms admitting that their arch-rivals were deserved winners of the league (as per Madrid Xtra) but also laid down a gauntlet:

"Barcelona did very well this season. They played good football and deserved to win this league. But next season, it will be different."

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Ancelotti's final two games in charge will see him oversee the La Liga visit to Sevilla on Sunday (May 18) before entertaining Real Sociedad on the last day of the season on May 25.

How Real Madrid fared against Barcelona this season

Real Madrid came off second-best in all four El Clasicos against Barcelona this season, a feat Barca had previously accomplished just once - in the 1982-83 campaign.

Following the aforementioned 4-0 home loss in the league, which ended their unbeaten start to their La Liga campaign, Los Blancos lost 5-2 to Barca in the Supercopa Espana final, ending their title defence.

In an epic Copa del Rey title clash, Carlo Ancelotti's side relinquished a late lead to lose 3-2 in extra time at the Estadio de la Cartuja in Seville. Days later, Madrid squandered another lead to go down to their arch-rivals, this time at the Olimpic Lluis Companys in the league.

Madrid's only silverware this season is the UEFA Super Cup, which they won at the start of the campaign by beating reigning UEFA Europa League winners Atalanta in Warsaw.

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 18 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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Edited by Bhargav