Rangers' new boss? Davide Ancelotti back in Scottish side's sights with ex-Real Madrid legend under further pressure after Botafogo throw away three-goal lead

According to the Daily Record, Rangers’ hierarchy have publicly backed Russell Martin but are exploring alternatives if results don’t improve. Among the potential candidates is the son of Carlo Ancelotti, who was previously linked with the Ibrox job before the club opted for Martin. The current Botafogo coach is also under mounting pressure in Brazil, winless in three matches and having failed to defend a 3-0 lead against Mirassol, which could cost him his position.

Under Martin, Rangers are still without a league win this season, drawing four of their five matches, including the Old Firm derby against Celtic. Pressure mounted further after a humiliating 6-0 defeat to Club Brugge in the Champions League qualifiers. Their upcoming League Cup clash with Hibernian could prove decisive for Martin’s future at Ibrox.

Ancelotti is also facing mounting criticism at Botafogo after being knocked out of the Copa do Brasil by Vasco and exiting the Copa Libertadores just a month earlier. In their most recent outing against Mirassol, his side collapsed defensively, conceding three goals in 17 minutes to squander a three-goal lead.

Ancelotti after the game believes that he needs time to analyze the defeat and improve on their mistakes: “It's difficult to make an analysis. There's not much to explain right now. We need time to analyze what happened in the second half. A very good first half in which we played our best football. A second half in which we disappeared.”

Ancelotti later questioned the mentality of his players “Swinging so much is a matter of mentality. We haven't reacted well to adversity. Today we didn't react well to the first setback. In the last game against São Paulo, we played very poorly. The image we need to maintain is certainly the image we had in the first half. We have to try to maintain this level of play for longer and know how to prioritize within the game, know how to read the game, and when it's time to defend well - this team knows how to defend well. But we mustn't lose our heads in difficult times. So, with this problem we have, we lack continuity, we need to react well to adversity.”

Rangers will hope results turn around under Martin, even as they quietly assess potential replacements, having opted for him over other candidates in the summer. On the other hand, Ancelotti will be focused on steadying Botafogo’s form despite the links to Ibrox, with the role in Brazil being his first major head coaching job after years working as assistant to his father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid.