article_snippet: As it was, Real's players were met with the waving of handkerchiefs and whistles on an evening which threatened to spiral from disaster into ignominy.
article_snippet: Carlo Ancelotti's team have endured a difficult few weeks, but if Carlo Ancelotti's players had arrived at the Bernabeu hoping to silence the sniping critics then his players failed miserably.
article_snippet: This was a dire display from one of the most expensively assembled teams on the planet, who but for arguably the world's greatest player, would have succumbed to one of the most embarrassing defeats in the club's illustrious history.
article_snippet: Fifth in the German league, this was hardly a team which was supposed to send Madrid into a meltdown -- and yet that's what came to fruition.
article_snippet: But, given the recent form of the Carlo Ancelotti's side, perhaps this was not so unexpected.
article_snippet: Last weekend's league defeat at Athletic Bilbao brought about a new wave of criticism for the Carlo Ancelotti.
article_snippet: Real astounding 22-game winning streak was curtailed by Valencia on January 4 and the style and swagger which was so evident during that run soon fell away.
article_snippet: The referee's whistle brought relief, though the howls of derision from the home supporters gave the players an idea of the players recent failings.