SPECIAL REPORT: Santiago Bernabeu sources have told
Goal that some players are unhappy that the Portuguese partied just
hours after their derby defeat
By Alberto Pinero in Madrid
Nobody expected the derby demolition. Some 48 hours after Real
Madrid's damaging defeat at Atletico in La Liga, the European
champions are still shocked by the events at the Vicente Calderon on
Saturday.
Atletico ran out 4-0 winners in the sides' sixth meeting of the season
and Madrid, once dominant in this fixture, have failed to win any of
the games against their local rivals in 2014-15 - losing four and drawing
the other two.
Madrid finished 2014 with a flourish, claiming 22 straight wins in all
competitions to set a new Spanish record and also bagging the Club
World Cup. So far, however, 2015 has been hugely disappointing, with
defeats at Valencia and Atletico (in Liga and Copa) and unconvincing
victories versus Cordoba and Sevilla. The team's fantastic form from
the latter months of 2014 is now a cause for concern, while there is a
confidence crisis among the fans and anger at how Cristiano Ronaldo
celebrated his birthday on Saturday night after what was a historic
beating for the team in white.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti described his side's performance at the Calderon
as "the worst since I took over" and the squad has cast a self-critical
eye on the derby debacle.
"It was a horrible match and we couldn't have played any worse than
we did," a Madrid source told Goal, with those thoughts echoing
around the training ground at a gloomy session on Monday morning.
Part of the squad and the coaching staff are unhappy at Ronaldo's
decision to organise his 30th birthday party on the night of the derby and
then go ahead with wild celebrations after their humiliating defeat on
Saturday. And there was annoyance that images and even videos were
leaked to the press in what is a delicate moment for the league leaders.
More than that, however, there is real frustration at the poor
performances against Atletico since beating Diego Simeone's side in last
season's Champions League final and Saturday's showing is the lowest
ebb in Ancelotti's reign as coach, which started in the summer of 2013.
The players are down but determined to put things right, with a tense
calm prevailing at the Bernabeu since Saturday evening. Ronaldo's
message after the game that Real remain a superior side to Atletico and
will win La Liga is one embraced by the club as a whole and has hit the
right notes with his team-mates - even if his party did not.
"We are still leaders in La Liga and there is a long way to go," a
source explained. "There is nothing that cannot be put right with hard
work."
That hard work starts now.
Source http://www.goal.com/en-ng/news/4079/features/2015/02/09/8770292/madrid-calm-after-atletico-debacle-and-ronaldo-birthday