Ancelotti's replacement was necessary, believes Real Madrid captain

Ancelotti ended his tenure at Real Madrid last season after spending a few years at the Santiago Bernabéu and has become the head coach of the Brazilian national team.

The Italian was replaced by club legend Xabi Alonso, who led Bayer Leverkusen to the Bundesliga title in 2023.

"A change was needed. Ancelotti's cycle had come to an end; we needed new energy. Everything is fine with Xabi, we are learning new ideas. We still have a lot of work to do to reach our maximum potential," the 33-year-old defender stated in an interview with 'El Larguero' on Cadena SER, via Sportal.

With Alonso on the bench, Real Madrid already have three wins from three matches and are leaders in La Liga. "What has improved? It's all very objective here. If you win, it's better; if you don't, it's a complete disaster.

"You can't rely solely on results, but they do affect player development. As for the press, the coach wants us to press higher up the pitch and to reduce the space between the lines."

Due to their participation in the Club World Cup, Real Madrid missed out on a normal pre-season, and it remains to be seen if this will have an impact. "There's a conflict of interest here – everyone looks out for themselves. But it's difficult. In a few years, this lack of rest will take its toll. Now you only rest for a week, because the next week they've already sent you a list of exercises to do while you're on holiday. You switch off from football, but not from your physical fitness. But you get used to it," Carvajal explained.

Starting this season, the Spanish international faces serious competition from Trent Alexander-Arnold. "He's a good lad, he has integrated very well. The competition is serious, and we will both try to fight for a starting spot. For me, this is a positive thing. Often, my strongest moments have come when I've had real competition, and I'm embracing it this year.

"We are different types of players, and that's a plus for the coach. It's a good problem for the club and the manager to have. It happened to me with Danilo – he started playing under Benítez, but then I won the spot. I see it as something normal. We'll see during the season how many minutes each of us gets," said Carvajal.

He also spoke about his star attacking teammates, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior: "For me, Mbappé is the same as last season. He's very good. Last season we didn't win a major competition, but he scored 44 goals. Let's not forget that's very difficult. And this year he's in incredible form. The coach has the idea of using 17 or more players to keep us all fresh.

"We have to understand that the player who comes on for half an hour can be even more important because he's fresh. Ultimately, you have to grind out matches, and in the last 30 minutes, a substitute who is angry about not starting can make a difference. The fact that no player feels untouchable is beneficial for the team as a whole and for each player individually.

"I don't think it helps Vini to be the centre of attention, but it's a difficult thing to handle. The taunts with the beach ball, the insults... I understand him, it's tough. I haven't been under that kind of pressure. We've talked a lot with him, told him to stay calm and focus on the game, because then he's unbeatable."