Carlo Ancelotti Caught in the Middle of Real Madrid Problems

It has been a tumultuous couple of weeks for Real Madrid. Two of last season’s key players have departed, others have aired their dissatisfaction, while the team’s lacklustre early-season performances reached a nadir in a 4-2 defeat away to Real Sociedad.

The situation is far removed from that of just four months ago, when Madrid’s players danced merrily around the turf of the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon in celebration of their victory over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final.

Angel Di Maria was there, clad in an Argentinian flag; so, too, was Xabi Alonso, suited and booted after missing the final through suspension. Together, they had formed two-thirds of the midfield trio that had played such an important role in Madrid’s success.

But last Sunday, as Madrid trudged off the pitch following a humbling defeat in San Sebastian, neither was to be seen.

They were, as AS (h/t ESPN) columnist Alfredo Relano put it, victims of “Florentino Perez’s compulsive passion for making big and loud signings.” The expensive purchases of James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos had necessitated outgoings.

Sami Khedira wanted to go but stayed; Di Maria didn’t but was sold anyway. Alonso departed for Bayern Munich in search of a “new challenge,” as per Sky Sports.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

These transfers were far from popular with pundits or supporters. In another column for AS, Relano wrote that Madrid “started to lose the game right from the moment they decided to drop Di Maria - the piece of the jigsaw that resolved all of the team’s problems last season.”

In a survey in which AS (h/t ESPN) asked readers if Madrid had a better squad than last season, 79 percent of respondents voted in the negative.

Cristiano Ronaldo added his voice to those of the outside dissenters when he was asked whether he would have made changes to the squad in the wake of the Champions League triumph. “If I was in charge, maybe I wouldn’t have done things the way they have been done,” he told AS.

His comments were taken at face value by many, but Cadena Cope (in Spanish) suggest that Ronaldo was simply doing the dirty work of his agent, Jorge Mendes, who is said to be embroiled in a tense standoff with Perez.

El Confidencial (in Spanish) report that Perez was angered by the contents of the open letter to Madrid supporters that Di Maria, a Mendes client, published following his departure from the club. The breakdown of talks regarding a potential move to Madrid for another Mendes client, Radamel Falcao Garcia, may in fact have been a power play from Perez.

In addition to Ronaldo, Fabio Coentrao, Pepe and new signing Rodriguez are all represented by Mendes. If true, where does this disagreement leave them?

Jose Ignacio Unanue/Associated Press

Caught up in the centre of all of this is Ancelotti. The Italian brought calm and order to a dressing room that had been dominated by internecine strife during the final year of Jose Mourinho’s reign and provided Madrid with their long-awaited 10th Champions League trophy in his first season at the helm.

Now though, for reasons primarily out of his control, that sense of tranquility has disappeared.

“Something has to change and it will change,” Ancelotti said after watching his side give up a two-goal lead to lose 4-2 away to Real Sociedad last weekend, as per Marca.

Madrid had dominated the opening half-hour, racing into a two-goal lead, striking the crossbar and calling the home goalkeeper Enaut Zubikarai into serious action on a further two occasions. At that point, the result seemed a formality.

But the home side were level by half-time and then scored twice more in a second half in which Madrid looked short on both energy and ideas.

There was little communication and no leader to steady the ship once La Real took charge.

Madrid’s defending was particularly poor. Iker Casillas failed to take control of his area, while centre-backs Pepe and Sergio Ramos were largely untethered. No one tracked midfield runners. They conceded twice from set pieces and twice from crosses.

David Ramos/Getty Images

“What happened isn’t normal,” Casillas said after the match, as reported by AS. “We were terrible, we didn’t play well at all. Everything that needs to be done to improve we have to do, because we wear an important crest on our shirts and this is not the example we should be showing.”

Nearly two thirds of polled Marca readers felt that Casillas should be dropped in favour of Keylor Navas. Ancelotti named Casillas as his de-facto No. 1 going into the season, but on the evidence of the campaign to date, he must surely be considering the merits of Navas—one of La Liga’s most impressive custodians last season.

A challenging few weeks now lie ahead, starting with next weekend’s derby against Atletico. Ancelotti has plenty of problems to parse and little time to find adequate solutions.

If he is unable to do so, it is not out of the question that the Italian could be the next one out of the Bernabeu exit door.

Follow @chewingthecoca