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Carlo Ancelotti says the scale of change inside Real Madrid before his final season disrupted the balance of the squad and contributed to the club’s trophyless campaign. Speaking after his dismissal, the former Real Madrid manager pointed to Kylian Mbappé’s arrival, key departures and shifting dressing-room dynamics as central factors in the downturn.
Ancelotti’s explanation places the 2025–26 season within a broader transition at the Bernabéu rather than framing the decline around one decision or one player. His argument is that a side which had been held together by long-established leadership and chemistry was altered in several important ways at the same time.
Ancelotti Points To A Shift In Dressing-Room Chemistry
In his interview with Radio MARCA, Ancelotti described football as a game shaped by fine margins and small changes. His central point was that team chemistry can be altered quickly, even when the quality of the incoming player is not in doubt.
That is why Ancelotti did not present Mbappé as the problem. Instead, he described the forward’s arrival as one part of a wider reset inside the squad. Toni Kroos and Nacho Fernández left after the 2023–24 Champions League triumph, while Dani Carvajal suffered an injury and Luka Modrić played less. In Ancelotti’s view, those changes weakened the continuity that had helped define Real Madrid’s dressing room.
Ancelotti said the older group had created a strong atmosphere over several seasons and that a new generation needed time to develop comparable authority, personality and leadership. That process, he argued, does not happen immediately.
Mbappé’s Arrival Came During A Broader Transition
Ancelotti’s comments are notable because they separate individual output from collective balance. He said Mbappé performed very well and scored around 50 goals, but he also argued that titles are often decided by details beyond one player’s numbers.
That distinction matters in assessing Real Madrid’s season. The club added one of the biggest attacking talents in world football, yet Ancelotti’s reading is that squad evolution was not complete enough to absorb such a major change without disruption elsewhere.
The departures of Kroos and Nacho removed experience from midfield and defense at the same time. Kroos had offered control and rhythm, while Nacho represented continuity and leadership. According to Ancelotti, losing those figures while integrating Mbappé altered the internal balance of the squad and created what he called a different atmosphere.
His explanation does not excuse the lack of trophies, but it does frame the season as a difficult handover between generations rather than a straightforward collapse.
Real Madrid’s Next Phase Still Looks Unsettled
The instability Ancelotti described has not yet ended. The text makes clear that the transition from the previous cycle into a younger version of Real Madrid remains incomplete.
Xabi Alonso was dismissed only months into what had been expected to mark the beginning of a new era under a former club figure. There is also uncertainty around Álvaro Arbeloa’s position in the near term, leaving open the prospect of another managerial change before next season.
That lack of clarity matters because leadership from the dugout is especially important during generational turnover. If the club continues to change direction quickly, the process Ancelotti described becomes even harder to stabilise.
Experience Could Still Leave The Squad This Summer
The coming months may bring another wave of exits among senior players. Dani Carvajal, now 34, is out of contract this summer. David Alaba and Antonio Rüdiger, both 33, are also identified as players who could leave.
In defensive terms, that would represent another major loss of experience. Real Madrid have already seen Kroos and Modrić depart in successive summers, affecting the midfield structure. Losing more leadership at the back would deepen the sense of a squad still between eras.
The article also points to the squad-building consequences of those potential departures. Trent Alexander-Arnold could benefit if Carvajal leaves, although right back would still need additional depth. At center back, Éder Militão is due to return, but Dean Huijsen and Raúl Asencio remain early in their careers, with a combined age of 43 and only 108 top-flight league appearances between them.
Those details reinforce Ancelotti’s broader argument. Real Madrid are not just replacing names; they are replacing experience, authority and habits built over years.
Ancelotti’s Explanation Reflects A Club Still Rebuilding Its Core
Ancelotti’s account of Real Madrid’s downfall is ultimately less about one failed season than about the difficulty of managing simultaneous change at an elite club. Mbappé’s arrival brought star power and goals, but it coincided with the exit or decline in influence of players who had shaped the club’s dressing-room identity.
Real Madrid remain one of the most demanding environments in European football, where transition years are rarely granted much patience. Ancelotti’s comments suggest that the 2025–26 campaign became one of those seasons in which the structural shift inside the squad proved as important as the quality on the pitch.
That makes his explanation significant beyond his own departure. It points to a club still trying to define who leads, who settles matches, and who carries the standards of a team that had recently stood at the top of Europe.