La Liga
POSSIBLE SUCCESSORS TO DEPARTING ZINEDINE ZIDANE AT REAL MADRID
Zinedine Zidane is edging towards the Real Madrid exit door with his contract due to expire leaving Florentino Perez on the lookout for a new head coach
Real Madrid look set to appoint a new man in the dugout this summer with Zinedine Zidane poised for the exit door.
Los Blancos boss has had to deal with speculation regarding his future for months with his contract winding down.
Zidane has told his players that he will be moving on at the end of the year meaning Florentino Perez will be seeking a new head coach.
The Spanish giants are not the force of old with several players moving on and others coming into the latter stages of their career.
The next man through the door will need to oversee something of a rebuild, which could excite but also put certain individuals off taking the job.
Here are five men who could be under consideration for the top job in Madrid.
Max Allegri
The Italian is currently among the favourites to takeover from Zidane, who could yet take up a role with Allegri’s former employers Juventus.
During the 53-year-old’s time in Turin he won Serie A five times and added the Coppa Italia on four occasions.
As a free agent he remains an attractive proposition with no compensation to be paid coupled with his proven track record.
Allegri’s somewhat pragmatic style may not be to Perez’s liking, but with Los Blancos in a transitional phase an adaptive manager may be just what they need.
The tactician has yet to taste Champions League success though, coming up short twice in the final, with Europe a major measuring point at Madrid.
Raul
The Madrid legend once held the record as the club’s all-time top goalscorer before one Cristiano Ronaldo arrived. He scored against Nigeria in Spain’s 2-3 loss at France ’98 World Cup.
But Raul’s long standing relationship with the club could stand him in good stead.
He spent almost two decades at the Bernabeu before leaving in 2010 but is now back coaching the club’s B team and youth ranks.
Perez has shown his willingness to promote from within having hired Zidane when he was B team coach and may again feel that a club legend who understands their traditions is the answer.
Joachim Low
He will leave his post as Germany’s head coach after 15 years in charge following this summer’s European Championships.
Low’s crowning achievement came in 2014 when he won the World Cup, although his stock has slightly fallen since that triumphant night.
Nevertheless he remains a high profile name, something Perez seems to value.
What may count against him though is his lack of recent work as a day-to-day manager with his last club job coming at Austrian Wien in 2004.
It remains unclear as to whether Low is looking to take some time away from the game before considering whether or not to return.
Antonio Conte
Another Italian manager who could be considered for the Madrid post. Conte has just won a league title with a third different club after his success with Inter Milan.
The 51-year-old has enjoyed triumphs with Juventus and Chelsea previously and has again underlined his quality.
Conte’s future at the San Siro is far from certain with Inter struggling financially amid reports some of their top players could leave.
That could lead to the departure of their coach, who is set for showdown talks, leaving him free to look elsewhere.
The Italian though is not shy in speaking his mind so a relationship with Perez would certainly be an interesting watch.
Carlo Ancelotti
He was axed as Los Blancos boss a year after winning the Champions League when he was shown the door in 2015.
But Ancelotti could again be in the frame for a return to the Bernabeu with Perez having nothing against re-hiring managers.
The Italian is currently trying to lead Everton into Europe but could no doubt be lured back to Madrid if things fell into place.
Ancelotti is still highly regarded by those in the Spanish capital would certainly be welcomed back.
Raphinha knew there was no reason to panic as Barcelona struggled to break down Espanyol on Thursday and said it was only a matter of time before the “golden feet” of Lamine Yamal steered them to a title-winning victory with a glorious goal.
Yamal, 17, took the ball on the right touchline and made a superb lateral run across the edge of the box before unleashing a curling strike between two defenders and into the top corner to break the deadlock early in the second half.
The stunning strike set Barca on course for a 2-0 win that secured the LaLiga title, with Real Madrid seven points back with only two games left to play.
“We didn’t have many clear chances but we have a kid in there who sometimes pulls something out of the golden feet he has and he gave us peace of mind to stay in the game more calmly,” Raphinha said.
“In January some people were saying we would fight to be third. We have confidence in ourselves. That’s the key. We trust in the work and in what we know we can do.”
Raphinha has scored 18 league goals this season, including a brace in Saturday’s crucial 4-3 win over Real Madrid, and was quick to credit the trust shown in him by coach Hansi Flick.
The Brazilian tripled his goal tally from last season and also has the third-highest number of assists in the competition with nine, three less than leader Yamal.
“The most important thing was the confidence of the coach. Knowing at the start of the season that he was counting on me, a person who controls the team … it changes you in the end,” he said.
-Reuters
Former Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso is set to become the next Real Madrid manager on a three-year deal when he leaves Bayer Leverkusen after this season, Spanish media reported on Monday.
Alonso, 43, is expected to replace current Real boss Carlo Ancelotti, who is being lined up for the vacant Brazil job ahead of the 2026 World Cup, soccer sources told Reuters.
Despite the Italian having a year remaining on his contract, Real’s underwhelming season and his desire to coach Brazil have led to a mutual agreement to part ways, the sources added.
Alonso, who said earlier this month that he was leaving Leverkusen after guiding them to the double last term, will join Real before the inaugural Club World Cup in the United States from June 14 to July 14, multiple media reports said.
Alonso, who also played for Liverpool and Bayern Munich, last season steered Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title, ending the Bavarians’ 11-year domination, and they also won the German Cup and German Super Cup.
Reports of Ancelotti’s likely departure come as no surprise after Real’s 4-3 defeat at Barcelona in a thrilling ‘El Clasico’ on Sunday left his side on the brink of a trophyless season.
The 65-year-old Italian, who returned for a second stint at Real in June 2021, led the Spanish giants to two Champions League and LaLiga doubles, the latest of which came last season.
He is the most successful manager in the club’s history with a total of 15 trophies and the first coach to claim titles in Europe’s top five leagues.
However, this season Real were knocked out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals by Arsenal and allowed Barca to fight back and win 3-2 in the Copa del Rey final.
Second-placed Real are seven points adrift of Barcelona, who could secure the league title on Wednesday without kicking a ball if Real fail to win at home to Mallorca.
Regardless of Real’s result, a Barca victory in the city derby away to Espanyol on Thursday would clinch the title.
An official announcement regarding a managerial change is expected before Real’s last game of the season at home to Real Sociedad on May 25.
-Reuters
Schmuelgen/File Photo
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It was mission accomplished, said Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti after his side fought back from two-goals behind to snatch a rip-roaring 4-4 draw on Tuesday for a 5-4 aggregate win that put them through to the Copa del Rey final.
Ancelotti brushed off questions about a sub-par performance by his side and praised his players’ effort in what he considered a highly entertaining encounter.
“We have achieved our goal today which was to reach the final and there is not much time to think about it,” Ancelotti told a press conference.
“It was an entertaining game with some mistakes and a lot of good things. It was fun and we are in the final.
“I never saw ourselves out of it because anything can happen at the Bernabeu. When we have to come from behind, we never give up. We never give up, especially at home, with the fans by our side.”
Ancelotti said David Alaba was not to blame after he deflected two balls into his own goal, calling it “bad luck” by the Austrian defender, but urged his defence to play with better focus moving forward.
“It’s not good to concede four goals in a game,” Ancelotti said.
“Right now we are a team that has a lot of effectiveness up-front, but little balance.
“However, we can’t ignore what we did in attack, scoring four goals against Real is not that easy. I think we are doing quite well.”
Real Madrid, who have won the Spanish Cup only once in over a decade, will play either Barcelona or Atletico Madrid in a mouth-watering final in Seville next month.
Atletico fought back to hold Barca to a thrilling 4-4 draw ahead of Wednesday’s second-leg in Madrid.
-Reuters
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