Ring in the new age, times have changed at Real Madrid and so has the attitude and morale of the current squad. The Madrid outfit currently is spending its off-season touring the United States and spending a particular amount of its time in Hollywood and UCLA. What a better location to enjoy the scenery before getting back to the stress of La Liga and their upcoming campaign with their new manager at the helm, Carlo Ancelotti. After some very enticing conferences with key players and the manager, the current feeling amongst the team is that of an uplifting one. With that being said, does this new boost in morale translate onto the field during the upcoming fight for silverware?

After enduring an-hour-and-a-half car ride to Los Angeles, fighting the harsh traffic, and avoiding the hundreds of “fanboys” and “fangirls,” many reporters were pondering what questions to ask the players at the press conference. The first press conference was the Real Madrid captain, Iker Casillas, my fellow associates all had one question in mind but refused to ask it more than once; “How do you feel your chances are at being the starting goal keeper?” Like a professional leader Iker stated how he relishes the “competition” for a spot in the new boss’ line up. More concerning was the thought of the new arrivals, particularly Isco, and any possible new acquisitions in the upcoming future, but the captain of Real Madrid, as always, kept it professional, stating he’s “not in charge of the transfers.” For Real his focus is purely on the team and trying to break into the starting eleven. Casillas, during the press conference, was as diplomatic as one can expect from any elder statesman, when Iker was asked about the feeling around the camp with the new boss in charge. Iker was, again, poised, professional and divergent, as one can be, “I have only had so few trainings with Carlo Ancelotti, and I am not able to gauge the current sentiment with the other players.”  

Opposed to the captain Iker, who is more along the lines of a diplomat and older statesman, Sergio Ramos, the vice captain, in fact, was more easy going. With a new haircut and air of confidence, it appeared very evident that there was something a mist in the morale amongst the players. After several probing questions, one in particular aimed directly to divide the locker room, “who would you rather play next to”, depending on the response by Sergio. Ramos was calm and cool as a cucumber, simply stating, “Its not my place to say who I want to play next, but to focus on my performance on and off the field”. Other questions asked of Ramos were in regards of new arrivals to the club and the recent departures from it. When asked about the departure of Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio stated how the team would be able to recuperate from the lost of Argentinean forward. On the new arrival Isco from Malaga, Ramos praised the young Spaniard for his accolades he achieved with Malaga and the talent he can bring to the team. In all from Sergio Ramos’ responses and his demeanor amongst the press conference, one can immediately feel good sensibility and a more content football player from the Real Madrid right back.

The Madrid outfit has appeared to be rid of the “burden” which seemed to be the manager from the past, Jose Mourinho. Although Jose did bring about three trophies in his three-year reign at Madrid, his tenure at the Spanish capital was always marred by controversy. Starting from the eye-poking incident on Barcelona’s Tito Villanova, the somewhat consistent send-offs by La Liga referees, and the unfortunate benching of a healthy Iker Casillas for the in-form Diego Lopez. All signs and pundits point to a massive disruption in the locker room between major players and the coach in the latter end of Real Madrid’s recent campaign. Current signs now point to calmer winds and a pleasant morale coming from the Madrista camp. With the squad observantly more jubilant and less tense, the obvious assessment would be that Carlo Ancelotti has produced a positive reaction amongst the team in regards to employment at Real Madrid.