Record in Hand, Squad Rotation the Priority for Real Madrid and Carlo Ancelotti

If Real Madrid's somewhat laboured performances across the last week hadn't indicated it already, Toni Kroos' comments in the lead-up to Saturday's clash with Malaga confirmed it: Fatigue stands as one of the few issues facing Carlo Ancelotti's rampant outfit. 

"I'm starting to get tired," the German said this week, per El Pais, as relayed by Jen Evelyn of Inside Spanish Football. 

Given the typically stoic nature of elite footballers, it was an unusually candid remark. 

"I can't wait for the summer," Kroos joked. "This year I played the entire second half of the season with Bayern, then I played the entire World Cup, then I played in the Super Cups with Real Madrid, and now I'm not missing a single match," he added rather more seriously. 

"I haven't played so much in my whole life."

Since his switch from Bavaria, Kroos has been outstanding for Los Blancos. But his mid-week comments did provide an indication into the toll this relentless calendar year is having upon the world's finest. 

And for Real Madrid, that issue is more pertinent than it is for most. 

Indeed, Saturday witnessed another sub-optimal display from Ancelotti's men, who came into the match at La Rosaleda on the back of scrappy victories over both Basel and Eibar in the last week (even though the latter produced a lopsided scoreline).  

Goals from Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale in each half secured the three points for La Liga's leaders (and a club-record 16 consecutive victories), but it was far from a commanding performance from Los Blancos. BBC sport noted the new consecutive-victories record for Ancelotti and Real Madrid:

Of course, it's true that Real Madrid could have registered another emphatic triumph with better finishing on Saturday. But the signs were there that the European champions have plateaued: Cristiano Ronaldo missed a golden chance, Iker Casillas looked jaded with the gloves, full-backs Marcelo and Daniel Carvajal didn't provide their usual attacking punch and the midfield, which included Kroos, drifted in and out of the game.

Frankly, one can't blame them. Maintaining the standard set since the defeats to Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad in the season's opening weeks was always going to prove extraordinarily difficult over an extended period; breathtaking excellence, so often fleeting, can be touched but not always prolonged. 

Ancelotti, therefore, finds himself in a position where managing the freshness of his squad is now his primary priority. 

A look ahead for Real Madrid sees the European champions tackle UD Cornella in the Copa del Rey, Celta Vigo and Almeria in La Liga, as well as Ludogorets in the Champions League prior to a short winter break.

For an outfit of this standard, such fixtures should be straightforward—particularly given that top spot in Group B of the continental competition has already been secured.  

Fresh legs, then, should be the manager's focus. 

"I see the tiredness of the team," Ancelotti said on Friday, per Goal, when quizzed on Kroos' comments. "They have recovered very well. We will do some rotations next week in the cup match against Cornella."

One feels, though, that the rotations Ancelotti speaks of should continue well beyond Real's upcoming clash with the Catalans—the depth is there for the Italian to tinker with his XI.

In goal, Keylor Navas is ready for more game time. At the back, Nacho, Alvaro Arbeloa and Fabio Coentrao all represent fresh options as the new year approaches. In midfield, the likes of Asier Illarramendi and Sami Khedira (once fit) can fill important roles, while Javier Hernandez and the soon-to-return Jese can supplement the work of Ancelotti's devastating front three. 

Even Marcos Llorente, who was in the squad for Saturday's clash with Malaga, can be used by Ancelotti.  

Certainly, in other years, such a demand might not be so obvious. But 2014 is a unique year compared with those that surround it—especially for those residing at the Bernabeu. 

Having endured the deepest of runs in La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League in the second half of last season, Real Madrid are now embarking on very much the same in 2014-15 not long after a World Cup and in the midst of Euro 2016 qualifying. 

For Real's biggest stars, this calendar year is a taxing one, as Kroos alluded to with the added games posed by the respective Super Cups coming on top of an already brutal schedule. 

Thus, squad rotation is now the priority for Real Madrid; fatigue stands as possibly the club's most significant obstacle in what could be a truly historic campaign. 

A balancing of workloads, therefore, is now the task for Ancelotti. 

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