After a string of poor performances, Real Madrid returned back to form with a bang after beating Granada 9-1 at the Santiago Bernebeu. The victory eases a lot of pressure on manager Carlo Ancelotti, who has come under fire in recent weeks following a string of bad results.

The worst possible time for the Italian came after the 2-1 loss against archrivals Barcelona before the international break. Real have had a fortnight to look at the problems and they seem to have rectified it to some extent. Their opponents this weekend, Granada, are not the byword for the strongest opponents. Hence, it remains to be seen if Real can maintain this performance.

Ancelotti, though, reckons that the players are back on firmer ground and that they will start performing from here on. Real Madrid will have the tendency to shift focus towards the Champions League, where they are the defending champions, after falling four points behind Barcelona with less than 10 matches remaining in the season. They have a quarter-final tie against Atletico Madrid, who have had the upper hand this season, and this may seem as a viable proposition. The Italian manager, though, dismissed suggestions that the team will be prioritising the Champions League over the league.

“The feeling is all positive, the team is good physically, we are fresh. We must highlight how the team has returned to playing as we want. It was important to win, and to play well, and we have done that.The objectives are very close now, and all the players understand that by giving their all the team can be at its best. But this was just one game and we have another important game on Wednesday, and be fully focused then, as we were today. Last year we were not as good physically as we are now,” said Ancelotti.