TONIGHT: Chelsea Vs Real Madrid – Carlos Ancelotti Job on the Line
His team is 12 points clear at the top of La Liga and preparing for a Champions League quarter-final with Chelsea, so why is Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti apparently still in serious danger of being fired?
Gathogo Wanjiru 
To understand the Italian's precarious position, it's necessary to consider the context of his arrival at the club last summer.
Real were in a fair amount of turmoil, with trophy-fewer seasons followed by the departure of iconic boss Zinedine Zidane along with Captain Sergio Ramos and his central defensive partner Raphael Varane.
At such a precarious time in terms of morale, club president Florentino Perez needed a safe pair of hands, someone to lead the short-term task of calmly guiding the team out of choppy waters.
A sense of stability and continuity was required and nobody fitted the bill better than Ancelotti, whose experience and easy-going manner made him the perfect candidate to restore order.
He has unquestionably achieved that aim. Real have taken advantage of an inconsistent season from reigning champions Atletico Madrid, a dreadful start from Barcelona, and a lack of firepower at Sevilla to establish a surely impregnable position at the top of La Liga - meaning that Ancelotti is poised to become the first manager in history to win the title in each of Europe's big five leagues.
Whether Ancelotti - who will be at Stamford Bridge after testing negative for Covid on Wednesday - will be given the opportunity to defend the crown next season, however, is a different matter.
