Barcelona vs Real Madrid: Copa del Rey final will define trophies & trajectories

Carlo Ancelotti, with his future delicately poised, has spent the past months preaching balance and commitment. The expectation – unconfirmed but widespread – is that he will leave after the league campaign concludes to finalise his agreement with the Brazil national team.

Until then, he has to manage the final metres of this marathon.

Santiago Solari is expected to take over for the Club World Cup in the summer. The long-term vision, as it stands, points toward Xabi Alonso beginning pre-season in July.

But one thing he will not do is negotiate what has brought him to where he is today and how he is perceived throughout the world of football. Publicly, Ancelotti insists: “I’m not a coach who uses the whip. If that’s what you want, hire someone else.”

He is, by his own admission, a soft power.

“There’s been talk of too much softness. But I’ve been angry plenty of times,” Ancelotti said this week. “Still, that doesn’t mean I become authoritarian. I work with people, not robots.”

But behind his serenity lies frustration this season. The mentioned calls for more intensity have largely gone unheeded and he considers this season has been one of the hardest of his career to balance egos.

Defensively, the numbers reflect this drift. Only 12 clean sheets in 32 league games. No more than five consecutive wins in all competitions. If they are to salvage this season, it must begin now – with eight victories in a row, Copa included.

Whatever happens in Seville, the season won’t end there. El Clasico at Montjuic on 11 May may still crown the league champion.

Barca will likely arrive with the advantage. Madrid, depending on the outcome of Saturday’s final, may arrive as either reborn heroes or wounded guests.

But that is for another night.