FanShot

Ancelotti's First Season at Real Madrid

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| Prologue | Real Madrid is not a club who gives second chances. Only a handful of players and managers have had that fortune. In itself, this is a testament to Don Carlo's credibility. José Mourinho's departure meant RM had to find a suitable replacement. The then PSG manager's impressive managerial record attracted the club. Ancelotti asked to leave PSG to join us (similar to how it happened this time). Ancelotti built upon Mou's squad by signing the wonderboy Isco, Illaramendi and Bale, while Özil and Higuaín left. Switching and patching a few things, Ancelotti's RM played attacking and spectacular football. Heavy in the attack and solid in the defence, the then RM was a formidable force. This team had an average of 2.43 PPG. The 2013/14 season ended with finishing third jn La Liga and winning the UCL (La Décima) and the Copa del Rey trophies. After an amazing first season, the second season began with the signing of Kroos, James and Keylor Navas. Di María and Xabi Alonso left. The club went on to set a Spanish record of 22 consecutive wins across all competitions in late 2014. Despite getting eliminated from the Copa del Rey (RO16) and UCL (SF) and finishing second in La Liga, the attractive football was not lost to us. We had an average of 2.29 PPG. Then why did RM have to fire Ancelotti in the first place? A disagreement with Bale's agent, Jonathan Barnett, did some damage apart from a sub-par season. Barnett wanted Ancelotti to play Bale as a striker but he continued with Benzema. When Pérez asked what he was going to do about this, Ancelotti simply said,"Nothing". Pérez didn't want the club's record signing to be unhappy and took the "difficult decision". After announcing Ancelotti's departure, Pérez was asked about the reasoning behind this decision. He had said,"I don't know. However at this club, the demands are huge and we need a new impulse in order to win trophies and be at our best." Did Real Madrid stop playing good football? No. Did Real Madrid go trophyless? No. Was Ancelotti being unfair? No. There was a dip in the performance from last season sure but personal feud, politics and pleasing immature demands led to Ancelotti's firing.