Carlo Ancelotti sacked as Real Madrid manager after two seasons, now set to return [Update #8]

[MenInG]

Carlo Ancelotti is sacked as Real Madrid manager after two seasons in charge of the Spanish giants.

The Italian, 55, led Real to victory in the Spanish Cup before claiming the club's 10th European Cup last season.

But this year they were knocked out by Juventus in the Champions League semi-finals, while Barcelona won La Liga.

Ancelotti's side finished second in Spain's top flight, two points behind Barca, who have reached the Spanish Cup and Champions League finals.

Club president Florentino Perez told a news conference it had "not been an easy decision" before thanking Ancelotti and adding that a new manager would be appointed "in the coming week".

Real beat city rivals Atletico Madrid 4-1 after extra time in the Champions League final in June 2014 to claim 'La Decima' - their 10th victory in Europe's most prestigious club completion.

It was Ancelotti's third Champions League title as a manager - he also won it twice with AC Milan, in 2003 and 2007 - but he leaves Madrid having failed to claim the Spanish title since joining from Paris St-Germain in July 2013.

In an interview with Italian newspaper Il Giornale published on Monday morning, before his departure was announced, Ancelotti said he would take a year off and have back surgery if he left Real.

"I must have a back operation because of spinal stenosis that for some time creates a tingle in my hands," he said.

"I don't know how long the period of recovery will be," he added. "I can assure you that I've had plenty of offers from Italy, England, Germany. I'm sure they will not be lacking from here until next year."

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/32877349

 

[Slog]

What an embarassment

 

[Kianig89]

Absolute shame this is Real's loss now what will they get a European version of Sam Allardyce #Benitez

 

[161]

Foolish Florentino Perez. Carlo did a good job with the team winning the CL first season and on course for a treble second season before getting hit with a spate of critical injuries

Real are not gonna find anyone better in the current market .... Rafa Benitez ? Unai Emory ??? Certainly not Klopp as he is aiming for the BM job.

 

[PetroDollars]

Now it will only go down hill with Rafa, with reports now suggesting Ronaldo is coming back home.

 

[Slog]

Now it will only go down hill with Rafa, with reports now suggesting Ronaldo is coming back home.

He pointedly said that he wanted to work with Ancelotti next season and considering he is top dog at Madrid Im surprised Perez didnt even bother to take that into account when firing.

Though even as a Utd fan I know Ronaldo return is not happening and is not even realistic this time. There was a small hope when Sir Alex was still here and if he was gonna be still Utd manager the return def could have happened but its just not possible now. That ship has sailed

 

[Big Mac]

Now it will only go down hill with Rafa, with reports now suggesting Ronaldo is coming back home.

Don't think Nacional can afford him.

Would love to see him at PSG, imagine the angry stares and tantrums a Zlatan-Cronaldo partnership would produce.

 

[Firebat]

Carlo Ancelotti: Real Madrid want Everton manager to return as Zinedine Zidane replacement

Real Madrid's move to reappoint Carlo Ancelotti as their manager is at an advanced stage, with the Everton boss set to replace Zinedine Zidane at the Bernabeu.

One well-placed source says the deal for Ancelotti, who previously coached Real between 2013 and 2015, to return to the club is "99 per cent" done.

One outstanding issue is the compensation the Spanish side will pay to Everton, who appointed the 61-year-old in December 2019, although an agreement is understood to be close.

The move has developed quickly over the past two days, with Real president Florentino Perez personally leading negotiations following the departure of Zinedine Zidane.

The former Real player quit his post after seeing his side fail to win a trophy this season. Zidane said on Monday he chose to leave because the club "no longer has the faith in me I need".

During his first spell at the Bernabeu, Ancelotti led Real to victory in the 2014 Champions League final against rivals Atletico Madrid, as well as Copa del Rey, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup glory that year.

However, he was sacked in 2015 after ending the season without a major trophy, after which he went on to coach Bayern Munich and Napoli, before joining Everton.

He steadied the ship at Goodison Park after replacing Marco Silva mid-season, and then oversaw the Toffees' push for European qualification this campaign.

However, Everton's season was undermined by their consistently poor home form - they won just six matches in their own stadium in the Premier League - which ultimately saw them finish 10th.

Ancelotti has been linked with a return to Real for several weeks, but last month he dismissed those reports as "not true".

"This is good publicity for me to be linked with Real Madrid but it is not true," he said. "I am really happy to stay here.

"We have difficulties of course, but I feel good at Everton and my target is to make Everton better and better every year."

https://www.skysports.com/football/...ager-to-return-as-zinedine-zidane-replacement

 

[The_KING]

I always felt that he wasn’t the right fit for Everton, so him leaving Everton already makes sense.

 

[Hasan123]

Ancelotti will suit Real Madrid at this stage. He is a good man manager and knows how to get the best out of teams once he works out the correct formation.

Good appointment but it shows there aren't many elite managers available. Conte would have been an interesting appointment but doubt Perez wants to have to manage him.

 

[MenInG]

Carlo Ancelotti has left Everton to become head coach of Real Madrid for a second time.

The 61-year-old Italian, who managed Real Madrid for two years between 2013 and 2015, has left Everton after 18 months in charge at Goodison Park.

He succeeds Zinedine Zidane at Real and the move leaves Everton searching for a sixth permanent manager in five years.

Ancelotti has signed a three-year deal at Real and said the move represented "an unexpected opportunity".

He added: "I have complete respect for everyone associated with Everton and hope they can achieve the exciting opportunities they have in front of them.

"While I have enjoyed being at Everton I have been presented with an unexpected opportunity which I believe is the right move for me and my family at this time."

Real will present Ancelotti to the media on Wednesday, while Everton said they "will begin the process of appointing a new manager immediately".

BBC

 

[ChTab]

Appointing Carlo Ancelotti as Real's Manager is going to end up very badly for Madrid. Ancelotti can only be successful with big players. Plus his league record is very poor to this date he has won just 3 league titles & he started managing in 1995.

 

[YousafTheBeast]

Football is a joke. You see managers getting sacked, and then getting hired by the same club after 2-3 seasons.

Same with players, clubs spending millions on players to activate their buy out clauses, and once they get the move to their dream club they end up flopping and returning back to their previous clubs.

I won’t be surprised if Zidane’s returns again in 2 years.

 

[PakLFC]

He is too high profile for a small club like Everton with a meagre transfer kitty. Carlo is not winning anything at Everton, ever. Everton are dreaming of Steven Gerrard of all people being their next manager, he won't even consider them for goodness sake.

 

[PetroDollars]

He was perfect at Everton, yesterdays man giving some stability to a mid table club, not sure why he has gone to RM, Zidane made it clear, there not a spending club anymore so he doesnt want to be there.

 

[James]

<b>Luck or genius? Why Carlo Ancelotti is underrated</b>

"The quality of Madrid is not by chance or luck. They have a high level in everything."

Was Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola just being polite in the aftermath of the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid?

City won a sensational game 4-3 and take that slender lead to the Bernabeu on Wednesday to meet a side that has since been crowned champions of Spain.

Winning La Liga sees Carlo Ancelotti become the first manager to win the title in Europe's top five leagues - and should he claim the Champions League, he will become the first to win it four times, moving clear of Liverpool's Bob Paisley and Real's Zinedine Zidane.

But still, the Spanish giants are often accused of winning despite of the Italian rather than because of him.

What is their gameplan? How many times have individuals bailed them out?

Los Merengues are in the middle of a rebuild and while they may be significantly better managed financially than competitors Barcelona, they still cannot boast squad perfection.

They simply do not have much money to spare. There are stadium renovations to think of and the purchase of PSG striker Kylian Mbappe to fund, not just because of his talent but because his marketing potential will generate another revenue stream.

As such, the squad consists of ageing stars and developing kids but little else in between. Their net spend in the transfer market in the past decade, according to the Football Observatory, is lower than that of teams such as Leeds, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa. In the past two summers, Real have only paid money for one player, Eduardo Camavinga who arrived for £28m from Rennes.

Considering the squad's deficiencies, Real president Florentino Perez was limited in his choices for a coach when he looked for a replacement for Zinedine Zidane in 2021. He needed a pragmatist, someone who made the best of what was already there as the club continued to rebuild.

In came Ancelotti for his second spell. The 62-year-old is a master at working with what he has and in putting the quality of the individual at the forefront of his plans but that wasn't always how he did things.

He trained under the great Arrigo Sacchi and grew up learning the art of a great playing strategy. The system was so important to him that he famously did not want Roberto Baggio or Gianfranco Zola in his side because they did not suit the system.

His time at Juventus and training France legend Zidane as well as his ensuing experience made him learn to adapt and he has since become a pragmatist who puts the players first.

Loyalty to the player means putting them in the ideal conditions to express their best. Let's take forwards Vinicius Jr and Karim Benzema as an example.

Against Borussia Monchengladbach in last season's Champions League, Benzema was caught on camera accusing Vinicius Jr of "playing against us", telling team-mate Ferland Mendy to not pass the youngster the ball. The Brazilian's inability to make the right decision under pressure was noted by many.

In December 2020, just a few weeks later, Spanish newspaper Marca asked their experts to explain why Real were not performing, especially in attack.

"There is a lack of a goalscorer to make the difference in matches. Cristiano [Ronaldo]'s departure has been more decisive than many thought," said journalist Felipe Del Campo.

Fast forward 13 months from when that report was published and ESPN reminded us in January 2022 that "Real pair Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior have outscored the entire Barca squad thus far, having shared 36 goals between themselves as opposed to the 35 goals collectively amassed by the Catalans".

Maybe Ancelotti just hugged them more, made them feel good?

Ancelotti always downplays how much he advises his players but clear data was collected and studied to help Vinicius Jr make better decisions and allow him to form a better partnership with Benzema.

Ballon d'Or and World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro once explained just how vital Ancelotti was to his own development.

"What I remember the most from Ancelotti is learning zonal marking," said the former Real, Juventus and Inter Milan defender. "I was accustomed to only tracking the man, but with him I learned the right movements and posture."

As for Benzema, when he missed his first ever penalty for Real in January 2022, Ancelotti absorbed all the criticism and told everyone it was his fault and not his striker's.

Allowing the individuals to shine is one thing but Ancelotti is also one of the finest readers of the game. He never stops working in a match, adjusting and forcing tactical changes that provoke mistakes from opponents while simultaneously putting his players in a better position to exploit.

Against Chelsea in the Champions League quarter-final, Real suffered deeply in the second leg. They were forced deeper and deeper but kept adjusting to increase the energy in midfield and maintain an attacking threat. The idea was to push Luka Modric closer to the attack and give him more opportunity to find a killer pass by bringing on Rodrygo. A goal was instantly achieved.

Against another great pragmatic strategist in Thomas Tuchel, Ancelotti's adjustments and substitutions were key - along with a large slice of luck.

In an interview with L'Equipe, France left-back Lucas Digne explained that his former Everton boss Ancelotti "is the best strategist, he analyses his opponents very well, he reads games very well.

"In every game he tries to adapt to the players at his disposal. He can vary his system with one snap of his fingers."

It would be remiss not to note how important it is for Real to have Antonio Pintus back as their fitness coach. How else would such a collection of ageing stars continue to perform at the optimum levels? Ancelotti takes care of their mentality and Pintus ensures perfect physical conditioning.

Make no mistake, Real deserve their La Liga title and to be contending for the Champions League final not only because of luck but because of clever strategies, attention to detail and the ability to convert fine individuals into great competitors.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61310553