Real Madrid's Dominance Has La Liga Leaders Facing New Test as Front-Runners
It takes a lot to push Carlo Ancelotti out of his typically unmoved demeanour. In truth, it mightn't be doable at all, such is his measured disposition.
Indeed, the possibility of the Italian bouncing into a post-match press conference with unrestrained jubilation continues to get slimmer by the week, for it seems there is nothing that startles or awes the Real Madrid boss.
For a lot of clubs—and, by extension, their managers—a 12-match winning streak featuring an aggregate score of 47-7 would call for a ticketed parade, the erection of bronze statues around the stadium, a city-wide holiday, an expectation of knighthood and an all-expenses-paid trip to Vegas (well, you might be able to imagine Harry Redknapp and QPR doing it that way, at least).
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But Ancelotti's response to his club's extraordinary run?
"The team is playing well," he said ever so plainly after a 4-0 thrashing of Granada, per Inside Spanish Football, with his excitement levels reminiscent of a graphic equaliser moving to some of Coldplay's most mellow work.
"The good streak gives us confidence, nothing more," he added two days later, as Real Madrid prepared for their Champions League encounter with Liverpool at the Bernabeu.
It's becoming a point of intrigue as to whether he'll ever let himself get the tiniest bit carried away with his team's ongoing achievements. Yet, there is a purpose to Ancelotti's impassive existence when confronted by the media—his manner in front of the cameras isn't a training exercise for the World Series of Poker.
The Italian, in charge of the continent's most devastating outfit, will be acutely aware of the hype that surrounds his club; the way in which the public's perception of Real Madrid fluctuates between each extremity more wildly than it does for any other.
Whenever it's all appeared to be going awry, Ancelotti has remained unmoved. When the tide's turned, his emotions have been equally static.
That's an important quality right now amid the new challenge facing his players as league front-runners, one that will mean an adjusted mentality must take hold at Real Madrid for the success to be maintained.
Since that pair of stinging defeats to Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid in the season's early weeks, Los Blancos have furiously set about proving a point, both to themselves and their opponents. It's as if the losses left a kind of damage that could only be repaired by the infliction of horrific wounds on others.
The clash with Basel, the game that kick-started the current run, was well and truly over prior to half-time, but Ancelotti's men continued to storm forward until the whistle was blown. When they went to Deportivo La Coruna that weekend, a 3-0 scoreline at the break didn't go close to satisfying Real, who blasted home another five in the second half.
In the subsequent weeks, Elche, Athletic Bilbao and Levante fell victim to that same fury, with only Villarreal and Ludogorets escaping the brutal punishment.
The thing is, however, that it's often easier to play with that incensed mindset, carrying a defiance and indignation borne from the public scrutiny that pushes you to an intensity that's otherwise unattainable.
Reaching the top, as they say, is typically far easier than staying there.
That switch in emphasis is now the major challenge facing Real Madrid. They've proved their point. Now they just have to win but must do so as the satisfaction in handing out annihilations fades ever so slightly.
Interestingly, we saw the first steps in that new phase against Liverpool on Tuesday, when the home side noticeably coasted against an inferior opponent.
"We did not play at a high tempo because we did not need to," Ancelotti remarked after the match, per the club's official website.
Such a rationale is perfectly valid, but that mentality is in stark contrast to the one that was exhibited as Real made their climb from early-season turmoil. There's a middle-ground, one feels, that the European champions should look to find.
Importantly, Ancelotti continues to allude to the resolve of those under him, as though he's recognised the latest 12-match streak was actually the easy part, that maintaining something close to that level is doubly difficult.
"The players know better than I do that every match is an exam," he said this week. "In every match, you could improve or take steps backwards."
Such a statement was a continuation of the sentiment he'd expressed only days earlier when he made it clear that the unparalleled sum of the team's parts only triumphs when it's matched by application.
"When the team fights, in the end the quality goes in our favour," the manager announced after the mauling of Granada.
These matters of mentality, of course, may seem odd when spoken about in relation to the continental champions. But there's an important difference between success in Europe and that which is achieved domestically.
Champions League ties are isolated, arrive intermittently and define triumph differently (think the away goals rule). Winning one's league depends upon maintenance—something that's proven difficult for Real Madrid while claiming only one La Liga trophy in the last six seasons.
During that time, Los Blancos have only enjoyed a lengthy stay at the top of the Spanish table once, during their triumphant 2011-12 campaign.
But they're there now, having ridden a breathtaking surge past Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, as well as fast starters in Valencia and Sevilla.
Staying there now becomes the challenge, for recent history shows us that Real Madrid haven't grown accustomed to being front-runners.
And as the task changes, so too must the mentality. Continuing their recent fury will prove arduous, but there's a middle-ground for Real Madrid, a level just below that, where satisfaction is derived from being clinical rather than devastating. That needs to be struck to prolong their stay at the top.
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