Jose Mourinho Left Real Madrid With a Divided Dressing Room Says Carlo Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti was left with the task of repairing a divided dressing room at Real Madrid after Jose Mourinho was done with it, the Italian coach has said.

Mourinho returned to Chelsea for a second spell in charge last summer after three seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu.

While the Portuguese coach was able to halt Barcelona's dominance of Spanish football with a title success in 2011/12 - preceded by three consecutive Catalonian triumphs - his spell in charge was eventually defined by his fraught relationships with key members of the Real Madrid squad, including Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Mourinho's departure was marked by a trophyless season, with Real turning to then-Paris Saint-Germain boss Ancelotti to restore order in the Spanish capital.

The former Chelsea manager has since revealed he was left with the task of rectifying the "problems" left in the dressing room by Mourinho but insists restoring harmony among players was something that came about naturally following the former manager's departure.

"Before I arrived I was aware that there were lots of problems in the dressing room - problems between some players and Mourinho," Ancelotti told French magazine So Foot.

"Everything that happened in private would end up in the papers the next day. But when I took charge, everything had returned to calm. I didnt inherit any tensions.

"Was I responsible for returning peace to the dressing room? No, no. When I arrived there was already a lot of serenity.

"Ever since I arrived, there hasn't been one fight in the dressing room. I never had an unmotivated player or any confrontations with players who haven't played as much as they'd want to."

The Real Madrid manager was also quick to praise Cristiano Ronaldo, whose goal-scoring exploits have reached inexplicable levels this season, having netted 13 in six league games.

"I've got to say that our most talented player, Cristiano Ronaldo, helps the rest of the squad a lot. When a guy scores 50 goals a season, he is sure helping his teammates and his coach. Plus he's not selfish; he plays wherever he is required to."