In case anyone needed a reminder, in the last couple of weeks Carlo Ancelotti has once again demonstrated that Real Madrid are led by one of the world’s best football managers.

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– Real seize advantage with win over Elche

A fortnight ago, remember, Los Blancos were in turmoil after suffering a humiliating 4-0 hammering at the hands of city rivals Atletico Madrid, a performance which even Ancelotti admitted offered no redeeming features.

While all around him were losing their heads, however, Ancelotti calmly kept his, showing maturity and intelligence to resist calls for drastic change – and he has been rewarded with three victories, six goals scored and none conceded.

Now, following his team’s 2-0 triumph over Elche on Sunday night, he is the manager with the most wins (78) after 100 games in charge at any Spanish club, also setting a new Real Madrid record by only allowing 80 goals in the process.

Nobody will be happier for the Italian than his own players, with the warm relationship between Ancelotti and his squad made evident last week, when his was mobbed by the players as they celebrated Marcelo’s stunning right-footed strike in the Champions League victory over Schalke.

Defender Pepe subsequently described Real Madrid as one big family with Ancelotti as the father, causing the 55-year-old to feign offence at being perceived as old enough to warrant such a status.

The relationship between players and managers is a tricky one which not many get right, especially at such a unique club as Madrid.

Ancelotti’s predecessor at the Bernabeu, for example, got it horribly wrong: by showing his fondness for the limelight and repeatedly asserting his authority at the expense of his senior players, Jose Mourinho completely misjudged the history and the atmosphere of his surroundings, and ended up alienating himself and making his position untenable.

Mourinho’s confrontational methods might work at another club – Chelsea – where the players are less accustomed to glory and flattery, but the superstars of Real Madrid command a greater degree of discretion and mutual respect. Ancelotti understands that, and has therefore been able to establish the right balance between deference and authority.

Another example of how not to do things is currently being provided by the grumpily guarded manager of Madrid’s big rivals, Barcelona: Luis Enrique appears to be walking a fine line between begrudging tolerance and hostile revolt with his world-renowned crop of players.

Although it may well be true that Enrique’s training ground bust-up with Lionel Messi last month was “just one of those things” which “can happen at every club”, as Barca have since repeatedly claimed, the awkward truth is that the Catalan giants are not just any club and Messi is not just any player.

Special circumstances and special environments require special treatment, and the obvious lack of warmth between Enrique and his players (for example, he and Neymar didn’t even acknowledge each other when the Brazilian was substituted against Levante last week) surely makes his position at the Nou Camp unsustainable.

Monthly crises are inevitable at Madrid – they accompany every defeat. The key is knowing how to deal with them, and Ancelotti has once more proven his worth.

Under his leadership, Los Blancos are in good hands.