While Real Madrid dominated Spain as well as Europe last season under the guidance of Carlo Ancelotti, things have not been that great for the team in white this time around. The arrival of Kylian Mbappe last summer meant they had more firepower but things haven’t gone according to plan for them.
The Spanish giants have struggled in big games since the start of the season, a challenge possibly linked to Toni Kroos’ departure and Ancelotti’s efforts to fit Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, and Rodrygo Goes into his starting XI, which led to compromises in the midfield.
As defending champions, Real Madrid struggled throughout their Champions League campaign, ultimately being thrashed 5-1 on aggregate by Arsenal in the quarter-finals. Following their defeat to the Gunners, they also fell short in the Copa del Rey final, losing to bitter rivals Barcelona.
Their third loss to the Catalan giants this season, combined with being four points behind Hansi Flick’s team in La Liga with just five games remaining, has left them on the brink of a trophy-less campaign. Given how the season has unfolded, Carlo Ancelotti may well be shown the exit door once the season concludes.
A report from ESPN has revealed that Ancelotti is all set to hold talks with the president Florentino Perez in the coming days about his future at the club. The most likely outcome of these talks is a mutual agreement between both parties to part ways after the final league games against Real Sociedad.
While there is a Club World Cup campaign which begins on June 18, Los Blancos could look to bring in an interim or could make a permanent appointment depending on the availability of their managerial targets. Meanwhile, the Italian manager is in talks to be the next Brazil head coach as per a report from BBC.
The Brazilian Football Federation are pushing hard to appoint him as their next boss having parted ways with Dorival Junior following their 4-1 defeat at the hands of rivals Argentina in Buenos Aires last month. The 65-year-old is all set to meet Diego Fernandes, who is acting on behalf of the CBF.
The Brazilian businessman was present in the stands to watch the Copa del Rey final and the main purpose of his visit was to convince Ancelotti to take over as the next Brazil manager. If he does accept the offer, the Italian manager will most likely leave Los Blancos way before the Club World Cup.
With Carlo Ancelotti heading towards the exit door, The Hard Tackle takes a look at three potential candidates who could replace him at Real Madrid.
Xabi Alonso is the favourite to replace Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid. The former Spanish midfielder has had a stellar managerial career so far. He started at Los Blancos’ youth setup before managing the Real Sociedad B team from 2019 to 2022.
The Spaniard then secured his first managerial role at Bayer Leverkusen towards the end of 2022. Alonso has done wonders during his time at the German club. He has helped them establish themselves as one of the giants in the Bundesliga.
The former Real Madrid midfielder played a key role in helping them make history last season as they won the Bundesliga unbeaten. His work has not gone unnoticed as quite a few top clubs are keen on having him on their bench, including Manchester City.
While there was no shortage of interest in him last season, he decided to continue at Bayer Leverkusen. His contract there runs until the summer of 2026 but he reportedly has a gentleman’s agreement with the club that if any of his former clubs come knocking for him, he will be allowed to leave.
Liverpool and Bayern were both keen on him last season but he decided to turn down those opportunities as reports suggest he is waiting for an offer from Los Blancos. As things stand, the team in white could soon approach the former Spanish international who did wonders for them as a player and is now set to guide them as a manager.
With both parties pushing for a move, there are high chances of this going through. But the biggest challenge will be the fact the team in white have rarely opted for a formation where three at the back. Alonso prefers using the 3-4-3 and 3-4-2-1 formations, and with the current squad, implementing this system would be a massive challenge unless significant changes are made to the team.
With Carlo Ancelotti likely to take up the Brazil role before the CWC, Real Madrid could push to appoint Alonso as their next boss before the big event in June. Given the kind of success the team in white had after promoting Zinedine Zidane as their first team boss, Perez could consider promoting someone this time around as well, and he does have two great options at his disposal, Raul and Alvaro Arbeloa.
The former Spanish full-back, who came up the ranks at Real Madrid and went on to win two UEFA Champions League titles during his time with the first team, could now be handed the reigns of the club.
Arbeloa started his managerial career with the Spanish club back in 2020, and he has gone up the ranks since. The Spaniard is currently the manager of their Under-19 team, and he has been doing a great job for them.
The 42-year-old prefers the 4-3-3 formation, which could actually suit the current group of players at Real Madrid better if he takes over from Carlo Ancelotti. His tactical blueprint is built around Spanish positional play, and he has already proven his credentials at youth level, guiding Real Madrid’s youth team to a domestic treble in 2022/23 by winning the Copa de Campeones, the Division de Honor Juvenil, and the Copa del Rey Juvenil.
While his rise has not caught much attention so far, it is only a matter of time before we see him managing at the senior level. If Arbeloa does not get that opportunity at Real Madrid, the former World Cup winner might look to prove himself elsewhere before hoping for an opportunity to manage the club where he has had a lot of success in the past.
Another name Real Madrid will certainly consider before exploring other options is that of former captain Raul. The 47-year-old is one of the club’s greatest legends, having spent around 16 years with their first team. He won three Champions League and six league titles during his time at the club.
Just like Arbeloa, Raul also started his managerial career at his childhood club. The Spaniard started with the youth team back in 2018, and he has been the manager of their B team since 2019. He has managed them in over 200 matches and Raul certainly seems ready to be a manager at the senior level.
Raul has been subject to interest from Villarreal, Eintracht Frankfurt, Schalke 04, and Leeds United, but he is committed to doing his best at Real Madrid. He is expected to get a new role at the club ahead of next season and could be in line for a promotion.
Few understand the club like Raul, who always puts the club above everything else. Having played alongside Zidane, he might now be looking to follow in his footsteps and have a lot of success as the manager of the team.
All three of Xabi Alonso, Alvaro Arbeloa, and Raul have a deep connection with the Spanish giants. However, Alonso certainly has the edge as he has already proved himself at the highest level with Bayer Leverkusen. Apart from the trio, Los Blancos could even look at the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Jurgen Klopp and Simone Inzaghi.
Zidane has been approached by quite a few top clubs, but he has turned down all offers as he only wants to manage the team in white or the French national team. He is waiting for the call from Les Bleus but will certainly consider the option of returning to Madrid if Perez does reach out to him.
Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp could be a great option for the team in white, but he is currently working as Red Bull Group’s global sporting director. With his contract there running until the end of 2029, it might not be that easy for Real Madrid to appoint him.
Simone Inzaghi has done wonders at Inter Milan, and his work has not gone unnoticed as multiple English clubs are interested in him. While Los Blancos have not been linked with him, they can certainly have a look at the Italian manager if they fail to secure the services of Alonso given the kind of job he has done at Inter over the last few seasons.
