Carlo Ancelotti got his second season in charge of Real Madrid off to an excellent start, overseeing a 22-match winning streak in all competitions between mid-September and the end of 2014.He led his side to victories in the UEFA Super Cup and the World Club Cup in Morocco.Madrid were, however, unable to maintain that pace through the second half of the campaign.They dropped points in just under a quarter of their 2015 league fixtures to finish two points shy of title winners Barcelona. Atletico Madrid eliminated them from the Copa del Rey, while it was Juventus who ended their quest for back-to-back Champions League triumphs.Los Blancos therefore ended the season having failed to win any of three main trophies they had hoped to capture during the second half of the campaign.And the Italian paid for those failures with his job, with Florentino Perez announcing his departure just a couple of days following the conclusion of the league season.Ancelotti summed up the campaign thus at his press conference following the final-day thrashing of Getafe:We end La Liga with 92 points, which is quite a lot, but not enough to win. The players have shown a serious and professional attitude right up until the last minute of the season. They have done really well, although there is the sadness of not winning titles. However, the effort was very professional.Ancelotti suggested that injuries had played a key part in Madrids failure to secure the Primera Division title. His detractors may, however, suggest that he was at least partially culpable given his failure to sufficiently rotate his squad.Croatian national team doctor Boris Nemec was certainly critical of Ancelotti after Luka Modric picked up a knee injury in April, just six weeks after returning from a thigh problem.Ancelotti did not spare Luka at all after he returned from a long-term injury, he told Nova TV (h/t AS). He played 90 minutes in every game. Ancelotti put Modric under a lot of pressure, instead of giving him minutes bit by bit.Modric's midfield partner Toni Kroos played more often than he ever had before. Per Marco Ruiz of AS, prior to last season, the most game time the midfielder had ever received in one campaign was 3,433 minutes for Bayern Munich back in 2011-12.But under Ancelottis command, as per Soccerway, Kroos was involved in 4602 minutes of action. He was played out the full 90 minutes in 28 of his 36 league starts.The consequences of this lack of rotation in key positions became clear during the final part of the season.Graham Hunter of ESPN FC noted that Madrids players looked physically drained in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final defeat to Juventus in early May:Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson could have added all the time he wanted and Madrid still wouldnt have scored because they simply werent fit enough to cope with the heat, the heavenly Italians and the crushing pressure associated with hope of a dramatic remontada, or fight back.There was also a feeling that by failing to rotate his squad, Ancelotti demoralised some of the regular bench warmers, sapping them of confidence. Asier Illarramendi, for one, looked nervous whenever called upon. Jese grow visibly frustrated at his lack of opportunities.In the positive column, Ancelotti was largely able to unite a squad that had become divided during Jose Mourinhos three years in the capital.Hes been a great coach for everyone, hes brought everyone, the club and the fans together, Pepe told La Sexta (h/t AS) on Thursday. He knew how to manage the dressing room really well.Ancelotti seemed to establish a particularly close relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos, both of whom signified their affection for the 55-year-old following the conclusion of the campaign.Per Soccerway, Ancelotti led the club to their second-highest scoring league campaign over the last six years, with Ronaldo producing the best return of his Madrid career, with 48 goals.He also successfully converted Isco and James Rodriguez into central midfielders in order to plug holes that had arisen due to the imbalanced nature of the clubs recruitment policy.Madrid failed to gain the three primary trophies they had hoped to compete for during the 2014-15 season.There were undoubtedly some problems related to Ancelottis use of his squad and a relative lack of defensive stability. His side conceded more goals (38) than any other team in the top four17 more than title winners Barcelona.Yet his good relationship with the majority of the squad and his ability to get Madrid playing attractive and effective attacking football when all were fit meant that he was probably deserving of another season at the club.We therefore give Ancelotti a grade of B- for the 2014-15 season.
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