Carlo Ancelotti celebrates after struggling with Real Madrid atmosphere

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is perhaps the perfect example of not getting too high with the victories, and not too low with the defeats, but even the Italian has is subject to the ups and downs of morale. Los Blancos 4-1 win over Las Palmas has eased tensions though.

Against Celta Vigo, Ancelotti and his players felt the tension, in what Marca describe as one of the toughest days of his career. He was impacted by the attitude of the Santiago Bernabeu fans in the Copa del Rey, as fans whistled him, Lucas Vazquez, Ferland Mendy, Vinicius Junior and Aurelien Tchouameni individually, something that did not sit well with Ancelotti.

He and the the hierarchy at the club believe that some of the criticism has been over the top, but none of it hurts as much as the whistles of their own fans. On Sunday, Ancelotti was seen celebrating his side’s four goals against Las Palmas with unusual enthusiasm, representative of the relief he was feeling. A comfortable, with good play and plenty of goals was just what he and the players needed.

Los Blancos now have the chance to gather some momentum going into an enormous Madrid derby against Atletico Madrid in early February, with games against RB Salzburg, Real Valladolid, Brest and Espanyol beforehand, although with a Copa del Rey tie to come as well. Their win lifted Real Madrid into first place though, putting them back in the driving seat, something Ancelotti was quick to point out to the press.