Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti is on his way out, while Bayern Munich’s Pep Guardiola has cemented his place.
One manager is on his way out; the other remains, with his position seemingly stronger than before. Carlo Ancelotti’s days at Real Madrid are numbered. Although second place in La Liga and a Champions League semifinal can’t be characterised as poor by any stretch of imagination, no Madrid manager has survived a trophy-less season for over three decades.
Pep Guardiola, though, looks set to remain at Bayern Munich. Despite the German club’s exit in the Champions League last four for successive seasons, the Catalan manager’s standing remains high. The Bayern administration is likely to take a generous view of the failure to defeat Barcelona as the side was not at its full strength. It needs to be acknowledged that Guardiola has overseen two comfortable Bundesliga victories.
Guardiola wasn’t helped by the club hierarchy when he was told to accept Mario Gotze’s signature ahead of his personal choice Neymar two seasons ago. Gotze has never hit the heights expected of him and it’s likely that Guardiola will gain greater leverage in the transfer market this summer. He will also hope to work with a fresher squad as the current season was blighted by fatigue resulting from last year’s World Cup. Ancelotti, though, is expected to look for a new job in the coming months. A sacking by Madrid would not harm his CV. Ancelotti’s tenure at Madrid has been seen as a major success outside the club and it won’t be a surprise to find him at one of the major European powerhouses soon.
For Madrid, the question of finding a new coach may not be too vexed either. Despite the culture of short-termism that prevails under President Florentino Perez, the job remains an attractive proposition for most managers due to the depth in personnel and financial resources. It would be a surprise if Madrid doesn’t feature in the latter stages of the Champions League next year.
Priyansh
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