I don't have much insight about what Real Madrid fans want. I'd expect, though, that most fans are more patient than the media. I see a lot of fans on Twitter continuing to refer to "La Decima"--the 10th Champions League title--to defend the team against all criticism while simultaneously insulting Atletico.
I think Real Madrid is more or less without a true leader, , a concept which I genuinely find to be nonsense, but I think matters in a time of crisis when vultures are circling. In my view, Casillas doesn't play well enough to be the team's emotional leader. I mean, Casillas played the good guy yesterday by making sure Ronaldo went to the center of the pitch with the rest of the team at the end of the match to applaud the fans. His honorable act does not take away from the fact that he played terribly and was whistled by the fans.
I mention Casillas' diminishing role because I tend to think that Ramos is the heart and soul of the team. In his absence, Real Madrid lacks that sort of leader, the one player to keep everyone else in line. In a team with a bunch of stars and big egos, I think Ramos plays an important role as the on-field enforcer, as well as the off-the-field voice of reason.
I feel foolish writing that sentence. Really, I do. But when you have Cristiano, Benzema, and Bale basically looking lackluster, and Ancelloti perhaps unable to right these wrongs, player leadership becomes increasingly important. And you can't have a guy like Casillas, who is playing poorly, being that guy, or guys like Ronaldo and Bale who are often the brunt of criticism given their huge financial costs.
