Wednesday saw the elimination of Real Madrid from the Champions League and the end of their hopes for any silverware this season. However one of the things most concerning for the Spanish giants is the absence of team spirit, something their conquers Juventus displayed in abundance. There is no denying the talent at Madrid with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and co, however is this talent going to waste because of individual egos?
Team cohesion can be largely broken down into two different types of cohesion, task and social. Some teams are solely cohesive due to everyone existing and putting all their effort into the task. The problem Real Madrid have is that although there is no doubting that all the players want to compete and win on all fronts, you get the feeling that certain players are more out for themselves, therefore sometimes forgetting the overarching team objectives. Secondly there is social orientated cohesion which refers to the social relationships within the group, again another area of concern with Real. There seems to be bust ups in the papers on a daily basis between many of their star players, agents and manager. This is certainly not helping their cause on the pitch, potentially causing more individuals to voice their feelings toward those they feel are not focused on the task. You can see how this can become a vicious circle, as more social relationships break down, more players will forgo the needs of the group in order to satisfy their personal needs and make themselves look good.
The problems facing Carlo Ancelotti if he remains at the helm could be vast, in Real Madrid he has too many players with their own agenda, not always getting on socially and ultimately not winning trophies. With the amount of money the club have spent on the likes on Ronaldo, Bales and Rodriquez it is unlikely they will want to lose any of the prized possessions, but in order for them to regain a sense of team spirit that they so desperately need it becomes difficult to see how they can achieve this without letting some of the bigger personalities exit the Bernabeu.
@Scotthassall1 / www.thoughtsport.org
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