The Bayern Munich boss feels his former assistant's excellent relationship with his stars is behind his excellent start as los Blancos coach.
Bayern Munich coach Carlo Ancelotti believes Zinedine Zidane's good relationship with Real Madrid's players is the key to his success at the club.
Zidane's team just failed to secure what would have been a record 17th consecutive league win in a 1-1 draw against Villarreal on Wednesday but have been stellar under the Frenchman so far.
The former Ballon d'Or winner and club icon first served as assistant to Ancelotti at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2013-14.
And Ancelotti has revealed it was then already clear to see all the players respected Zidane and credits his success in the dugout on his ability to foster cooperation from his stars.
" Zidane has a lot of charisma and the players respect him. I saw it when he was still my assistant and I think that's the key to his success," Ancelotti told L'Equipe .
"The players had problems with [Rafael] Benitez and then everything changed when Zizou came in. The players are all fully behind him.
"He has studied a lot to get where he "s now. He had the courage to become my assistant and had the courage to coach Castilla. And he knows the club."
"Plus he has a great relationship with the players. Your relation with the players is what matters most in the end. I think all coaches should understand that. The better your relationship with the players, the closer you are to them, the better the results are."
"Zizou is still young and it is only his second year in charge of Madrid. He will continue to improve his knowledge of the game and gain more experience. Football changes every day."