The Real Madrid manager is under pressure and two former Everton players could pile it on even more on Tuesday
Sport
Updated 12:26, 10 Dec 2024
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Lookman and Godfrey will come up against Ancelotti on Tuesday (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
There will be a curious meeting of Everton-related worlds in the Champions League on Tuesday night. Atalanta vs. Real Madrid. Ademola Lookman vs. Carlo Ancelotti.
Since leaving Everton to rejoin Madrid in 2021, life has largely been serene for Ancelotti. The Italian has added another two Champions League titles to his haul - making it five overall as a manager - and has won La Liga on another two occasions.
But this season the pressure has started to bite at the Santiago Bernabeu. Even for the icons of the massive Spanish club, it inevitably does.
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While Los Blancos have got back on track in the league recently after a slow start - they are two points behind leaders Barcelona with a game in hand - their defence of their European title has been shoddy so far.
After five games of the revamped Champions League league phase, they are in 24th spot out of 36 teams. As things stand, they occupy the final qualification spot for the knockout stages and are under huge pressure going into their last three games.
Given Madrid's association with the European Cup, these issues have not gone unnoticed and even a man of Ancelotti's immense pedigree is said to be coming in for some scrutiny.
Reports in Spain have suggested that Madrid president Florentino Perez could even make the decision to part ways with Ancelotti mid-season, with a three-man shortlist drawn up.
At his press conference previewing a challenging upcoming game against Atalanta, Ancelotti was asked about his relationship with the club president.
"The coach holds on if the club holds on; If not (laughs), the coach can’t hold on," the Italian said. "It's that simple. There is no other recipe. The club-coach relationship is very important for success. The basis must be trust. If you are successful, it is because this relationship has been very good."
A bad result in Bergamo could put even more strain on that relationship though. And Atalanta and especially Lookman have it in them to make the night an awkward one. La Dea are on a nine-game winning streak and have surged to the top of Serie A standings.
Lookman has been central to that progress. After leaving Everton after two frustrating years, the winger initially struggled to find form at RB Leipzig, Leicester City and Fulham. Then a move to Italy ignited his obvious ability.
The Nigeria international scored a remarkable hat-trick in his team's 3-0 Europa League final win back in May and he was nominated for the 2024 Ballon d'Or in September. This season he has hit 10 goals already in all competitions.
"We lost the last match we played against them in August, in the Super Cup, but since then we have grown together as a team," he said ahead of the Madrid match, with Atalanta fifth in the league phase.
"Now we are a different group, one that has become stronger. We have shown that consistently, and tomorrow will be another opportunity to prove it, and I can't wait."
While Lookman left Everton before Ancelotti's arrival, the veteran coach could potentially come up against one of his former Blues players on Tuesday night in Ben Godfrey.
The defender left Everton in the summer for the Europa League winners but has yet to find his feet in Bergamo. Early reports from Italy even suggested Atalanta were considering a January sale and as that window nears Godfrey is still yet to start a game for his new club, playing a total of 66 minutes.