Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was under pressure ahead of El Clasico on Wednesday night, but a resounding 4-0 victory has halted any talk of replacements for a little while at least. Ancelotti has received plenty of backing and affection since, not least from the Real Madrid dressing room.
According to Marca, Ancelotti has won over the Real Madrid dressing room with his motivational speech ahead of the Copa del Rey semi-final. Ahead of the game, he told the team the following.
“They haven’t been better than us, neither in the first leg of the Cup at the Bernabeu nor in the League at the Camp Nou. We didn’t deserve to lose and we’re going to prove it and don’t forget that it’s a final.”
His post-match team talk, captured in the dressing room, would corroborate that version of events, given he referred to his previous statements that the match against Barcelona was a final.
The fact that the match played out just like that has strengthened his connection with the dressing room, showing that he still has his finger on the pulse.
While perhaps ‘winning over’ the dressing is a little strong, there is no doubt that being proven right helps your image in the eyes of your employees. Equally it should be remembered that Ancelotti’s discourse ahead of the match was to ‘not go crazy’ for the first goal, and play a complete match. As it was, Los Blancos’ approach was not one of a team behind in the tie, and thus they managed to open the scoring on the counter-attack.