In recent weeks, much has been made about Real Madrid’s failure to extend manager Carlo Ancelotti’s contract past June 2016.

Stories have surfaced in the Spanish press stating that the second year boss will not be offered an extension if the club does not win La Liga or a Champions League title. It has been reported club president Florentino Perez is unhappy with the team’s recent performances (top of his list being the 4-0 derby day defeat to Atletico Madrid), as well as the growing tension between players in the Real Madrid dressing room (most notably the apparent fractured relationship between Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale).

Perez has taken his grievances directly to the manager and the players. The club president attended a recent training session to address the team personally, while also holding a one-on-one behind closed doors meeting with Ancelotti.

The fact that Perez is taking a hard line with his manager will not come as a surprise to Ancelotti. When the Italian was introduced as Real Madrid’s new boss in June 2013, the club president warned Ancelotti that the expectations at the Spanish club were more than any of his previous jobs.

“His style and character fits the profile of this club perfectly,” Perez said in 2013. “He is a proper football man, an intelligent man and a natural winner.”

“He is the coach our directors and members wanted the most and he was also the coach I wanted the most.”

“Ancelotti has experienced the highest amounts of pressure in the most intense dugouts in the world, but he should know that nothing he has experienced will be similar to what awaits him at this club.”

Despite the speculation surrounding his future at Real Madrid, the unflappable Ancelotti has maintained he is focused on the task at hand – winning the league and repeating as European champions – and not on his future at the club.

“I don’t think my renewal depends on whether we win a trophy or not,” the manager said prior to today’s match against Elche. “The end of the season will be a good time to talk about it. It’s not a problem if it doesn’t happen; my contract runs until June 2016.”

“My objective here is always to win. Since the day I arrived I knew it was about winning. In every team I’ve taken charge of it has been about winning trophies.”

One of Ancelotti’s best traits as a manager is his ability to remain calm and navigate situations despite the chaos that can engulf a big clubs. It is what makes him the perfect fit for Real Madrid and the Italian deserves more credit for his accomplishments to date.

Since the disappointment of the derby defeat and the ensuing fallout, Madrid have beaten Deportivo and Schalke by identical 2-0 scorelines. Although neither result was as convincing as victories from earlier in the season, the bottom line is Madrid have one step in the Champions League quarter-finals and have a chance to extend their league lead over Barcelona to four points with a win on Sunday.

Ancelotti is looking for his team to end the week on a positive note and take maximum points from Elche on the road.

“The game will have a lot of intensity and rhythm,” the manager added. “It’s true that Elche have improved over the last fortnight and that’s why it will be a tough match.”

“It has been a good week for us and we want it to continue that way.”

Programming note: Elche vs. Real Madrid will be shown LIVE on Sunday starting at 2:55pm EST on beINSPORTS and DishWorld.