After helping Real Madrid win its tenth UEFA Champions League title last season, one would have assumed that manager Carlo Ancelotti’s job would have been safe for a period of time. But given his team’s recent struggles and the impossibly high expectations set for him as the leader of Los Blancos, rumors are swirling that he could be out at Madrid with a loss to Barcelona in this weekend’s installment of El Clasico.
While these rumors are far from substantiated, and Real Madrid brass are claiming that they have confidence in Ancelotti, they acknowledge that it’s possible for Ancelotti to walk away even if they don’t fire him. So who would be a good replacement for the man who coached Real Madrid to La Decima? Here are a few viable, not all too unrealistic candidates for the job.
1. Manuel Pellegrini
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Given Manchester City’s struggles in domestic competitions and to break out of the last sixteen in the Champions League, it’s entirely possible that Manuel Pellegrini will also be out of a job by the end of this season. In fact, rumors have Ancelotti coming to Manchester to replace him. So why not have these two managers, both of whom have experienced success lately, swap squads?
Pellegrini would be a good fit for Real Madrid, as his often criticized 4-4-2 formation would work perfectly in a system with legitimate stars up front such as Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo. Compared to now, where Pellegrini has to rely on Sergio Aguero to carry his offense against top notch competition, Real’s firepower combined with Pellegrini’s tactics could make everyone look better in that situation.
2. Louis van Gaal
Manchester United also have their eyes on Ancelotti should he be out of Madrid at the end of the season, which means that current United manager Louis van Gaal would be looking for managerial work.
Van Gaal’s favorite tactical approach, employing just three defenders, would be a dream come true for fans of attacking football, as they would have the opportunity to see Madrid’s endless supply of midfielders in greater numbers to dominate the ball and feed the three headed monster of Ronaldo, Bale, and Benzema.
While, on the surface, this feels like a longshot given the recent success of van Gaal in improving United back into a team that can compete in the Champions League after the disastrous David Moyes era, United usually get the men they want. If they want Ancelotti, they will get him, and that could open the door for a bold move such as this one.
3. Zinedine Zidane
Once known for his dynamic play on the field (and infamous headbutt in the 2006 World Cup Final), Zinedine Zidane is being groomed to one day take over as the head man at Real Madrid. The question now, though, is whether it is too soon for the move to happen. Zidane currently coaches Real Madrid’s B team, which plays in the third tier of Spanish soccer, despite it being known that all of the top players from the side will eventually be called up to the first team in La Liga.
The only question is whether Zidane’s relative lack of experience would prevent him from making the leap at such an early stage in his coaching career. Zidane began his coaching journey in 2010, putting him way behind Europe’s more experienced managers.
While it’s crazy for nearly every other club in the world to fire a man who won the Champions League the season before, teams like Real Madrid are capable of doing just that. But should they hire one of these three managers, there shouldn’t be much of a dropoff in performance next season at all.