Losing two of your greatest assets in the same transfer window is the worst possible scenario for any club, let alone Real Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane parted ways with the Los Blancos in the summer transfer window in 2018. Days after their emphatic third consecutive UEFA Champions League triumph. Losing one of the best players that the world has ever seen and a manager that has been so successful in his short tenure at the club was a significant loss to take. And Real Madrid is quite honestly facing the consequences of it. They have been the pillars of this side for the last few years. A player that has won them so much in his 9-year stint at the club and a manager that guided them to one of the most historic achievements of the whole footballing world.
Julen Lopetegui was appointed as the manager of the club at the start of this season. But as the games unfolded, he turned out to be one of their most disappointing appointments for the club in recent history. After a string of poor outings which includes a 5-0 humiliation against Barcelona, he was sacked in October itself. Santiago Solari was called in for the manager's role at the Los Blancos. He was definitely an improvement on Lopetegui but not by much. Defeats to Girona and Barcelona (two times) saw them crash out of the Copa Del Rey and ending all possible hopes for the La Liga title too. They are currently placed third in the table, well 12 points behind the leaders Barcelona.
With the uphill task of UCL remaining the sole chance to defend his position, the future for Solari at Real Madrid looks bleak. Here are the top three potential alternatives to Solari at Santiago Bernabeu:
Jose Mourinho: The name of the former Real Madrid boss is again making the rounds here at Real Madrid. His career has not got as per plan since leaving Real. He joined two of the most high profile clubs in the Premier League but failed to complete his third season in both. He started well at Chelsea, winning the Premier League in his second season. But in the next term, he was sacked in December itself. And at Manchester United, he started with a trio of trophies in the first year. Followed by a second-place finish in the second season. But his third season syndrome didn't leave him there too. He was sacked even before Christmas. He was the manager when Real went on to win the La Liga title against mighty Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona.
Massimiliano Allegri: When he joined Juventus back in 2014, Juventus’s dominance was restricted primarily to the Serie A only. But with time, he built a side that was capable of challenging even the best of sides in Europe while maintaining the dominance in Italy also. He was definitely an upgrade on Antonio Conte. They went in the transfer market in the summer to secure the signing of one of the most coveted players the game has ever seen. Ronaldo was thought of as the missing piece of Juventus's jigsaw. But a 2-0 first-leg defeat to Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid puts them on the brink of elimination in the Round of 16 itself. Many experts have claimed that this is how far he can go and the Old Lady is looking at other alternatives themselves.
Joachim Loew: One of the best national coaches in the history of the game, Joachim Loew has been there for more than a decade as the head coach for the Germany National Side. Despite the poor performance from his side in the FIFA World Cup 2018, the reputation is still there. He has developed the side into one of the most lethal forces in world football. He inherited one of the worst Germany sides from Jurgen Klinsmann in 2006 and transformed them into the most successful side of the last decade. There is always a fear factor among other teams when they face Germany. The 59-year-old also won the World Cup in 2014.
Managing Real Madrid is a task in itself but these managers have years of experience at this level. Let's see who gets the call from Perez?
