Ancelotti's tactical acumen does the trick

Real Madrid claimed a record-extending 36th LaLiga title on Saturday after Girona's 4-2 thrashing of local rivals Barcelona left Carlo Ancelotti's side with an unassailable lead in the standings. 

With four games left, Real Madrid moved to 87 points on top of the standings after their second-string players earned a 3-0 over relegation-threatened Cadiz earlier on Saturday, 13 ahead of Girona in second and 14 clear of third-placed Barcelona.

Xavi Hernandez's side were the only one left who could prevent their bitter rivals Real lifting the title, but their faint hopes were extinguished in Girona as they fell to their second league defeat in three matches.

Last summer, things didn't look great in Madrid; Karim Benzema, a stalwart of Ancelotti's side, announced rather suddenly that he planned on leaving the club. Meanwhile, his presumptive long-term replacement, Kylian Mbappe, elected to stay at Paris Saint-Germain for at least one more season.

Even at a glance the squad looked imbalanced, without a reliable central striker, and too many centre-midfielders, while expensive veterans Toni Kroos and Luka Modric were ageing and past their best.

And to make things worse, Madrid were playing catch up. Barcelona won the title in 2023, and were never really pushed by Los Blancos. If this was the campaign to hunt down the Blaugrana, the pieces didn't seem to be in place to pull it off.

Fast-forward a year and things look remarkably different; Real have won La Liga after opening up a double-digit lead at the top. It all amounts to one of Ancelotti's finest jobs in management, the synthesis and application of a squad rife with talent but lacking in clarity. A Madrid side that shouldn't really work has become one of the best in Europe.

Real Madrid now can turn their attention to a LaLiga-Champions League double as they get ready to host Bayern Munich in the semifinal return leg on Wednesday after snatching a 2-2 draw in Germany last week.

"It's obviously a contained joy, because the most important game of the season (Bayern) is also very close, but we have to be happy," Ancelotti told Movistar Plus+ on Saturday, before knowing the Barca result.

"Those games (Cadiz) are difficult to prepare for, because you have Wednesday on your mind. But so far it's been spectacular, our team was steady, with hardly any mistakes. The advantage we have is well deserved."

The LaLiga title crowned a remarkable domestic campaign despite major knee injuries sustained by keeper Thibaut Courtois and defenders Eder Militao and David Alaba early in the season, in addition to a big hole left up-front due to Benzema's departure to Saudi Arabia's Al-Ittihad.

To overcome such obstacles, 64-year-old Ancelotti had to prove once again that he is much more than just a manager who knows how to bring out the best in his players, both the young and experienced.

His tactical nous was instrumental in fixing Real's problems, including improvising midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni as a centre-back alongside Antonio Rudiger and changing the system to deploy Jude Bellingham as an attacking midfielder, with freedom to get forward and support Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo up front.

Bellingham scored 15 goals in his first 16 games and he, Vinicius, and Rodrygo have netted 41 of Real's 74 league goals.

At the back, German international Rudiger had arguably enjoyed the best season of his career at age 31, leading a rock-solid Real Madrid defence which conceded only 22 goals in 34 league games, way ahead of LaLiga's second-best Athletic Bilbao with 33.

"A big part (of Real success) was achieved when we started to defend better, with a collective commitment," Ancelotti said.
"The effort put by the players up front was great, but the injuries early in the season helped us to realise that it wasn't about individuals but putting on a collective effort, and we did great."

Ancelotti two years ago became the first manager to capture titles in each of Europe's top five leagues and he has now added another trophy to cement his legacy as one of the most successful coaches in history.

*So far, Real Madrid have scored the most goals (74) and conceded the fewest (22) in the league.

*After winning the club's 36th LaLiga title, Nacho, the Real captain, and Luka Modric equalled Marcelo and Benzema as the players with the most trophies in the club's history. They now have a total of 25 titles with Los Blancos.

*In his debut season, English midfielder Jude Bellingham stood out with his performance as he remains second on the top-scorers' list in LaLiga with 18 strikes in 26 matches.

*Despite suffering over 30 injuries to crucial players, Carlo Ancelotti's side lost only one match in the league, winning 27 and drawing six.

*Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, and Rodrygo have netted 41 of Real's 74 league goals.