Who Will Reign Over Los Blancos Next?
Carlo Ancelotti is a head coach with a long career filled with success. This is his second stint as the head coach of Real Madrid, and he is the most decorated Real Madrid head coach in history with a total of 15 titles across his two eras of coaching this club. He is now etched into history as a legendary manager for Los Blancos. It was his first stint at Real Madrid that revived the club's winning ways in European competition and La Liga. Even after he left the first time, many of the building blocks that he had put into place, with players and the tactics, were expanded upon by Zinedane Zidane, who was Ancelotti’s assistant coach in 2013-2014. Much of Real Madrid’s recent success can be attributed to the hard work that Ancelotti has put into this team as a whole and individually with the players he has had the privilege to coach in his years as the head coach of Los Blancos. It has instilled once again that both in Spain and Europe, Real Madrid is a winning club.
With that being said, this season and to some extent last season have shown some cracks in the team, and in the long term, Carlo Ancelotti may no longer be the right person for the job in leading the team. The most recent losses versus Arsenal F.C. and Valencia have been raising questions among fans and the club in general. Florentino Pérez, the club president, is rumored to be looking to the future of the club's head coach position. The two biggest candidates for this job are Xabi Alonso, a former Real Madrid legend who played under Ancelotti during his first stint as manager at the club, and Andoni Iraola, who is currently coaching in the Premier League and is leading an over-performing AFC Bournemouth. Lastly, a familiar face is also rumored to be in the running to take over the reins at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid is the “Special One” José Mourinho.
Xabi Alonso: Why He Could Be the Future
Xabi Alonso has been coaching Bayern Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga since the 2022-2023 where he saved the club from the relegation zone and finished in sixth place. He then expanded upon his managerial success that season in the 2023-2024 season, breaking Bayern Munich’s stranglehold on the Bundesliga not only by winning the title but also achieving this league title with a fully unbeaten run in the Bundesliga. He also won the DFB-Pokal, which is another domestic cup in Germany. Xabi Alonso knows Real Madrid very well as a player and knows what it takes to be successful at Real Madrid. He understands the club culture and would fit in well, being able to help grow the younger players into their full potential. Xabi Alonso is also a very tactically astute head coach who can help serve a squad that seems a bit lost at the moment. The former Real Madrid midfielder looks to be the likely favorite to take the reins next season if Ancelotti is to be replaced.
Andoni Iraola: A Breath of Fresh Air?
Andoni Iraola is someone who would be new to Los Blancos. He has never been a player for them, nor has he ever managed for them. He has most notably coached Rayo Vallecano in La Liga and is currently the AFC Bournemouth head coach. Andoni Iraola had a track record in La Liga of being able to establish mid-table finishes in La Liga with Rayo Vallecano, with victories over the likes of F.C. Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Sevilla, while also being able to get to the Semi-finals of the Copa del Rey. In the Premier League, the Spaniard Iraola was able to lead AFC Bournemouth to a highest-ever point tally of 48 points in 12th place last season and managed to lead them to a 2-1 win over Manchester City this season in November. Many see these underdog-style achievements to be indicative of Iraola’s managerial and tactical talents. If he is able to do this with a team that has little to no big names or young stars, then he may be able to do a lot more with a squad of the caliber of Real Madrid.
José Mourinho “The Special One”: A Blast from the Past
A very recognized name in Real Madrid’s fandom, Mourinho was Real Madrid’s head coach for three seasons from 2010 to 2013. His reign as the manager with Los Blancos was during F.C. Barcelona’s dominance in both Europe and Spain. He was the coach who helped shift the balance of power in La Liga and Europe into something more even. It was an era where Real Madrid started to fight back, winning both the Copa del Rey in the 2010-2011 season versus rivals F.C. Barcelona andstar power La Liga in the 2011-2012 season, where Mourinho's team set records for most points and most goals scored in a La Liga season at the time. They also won the Supercopa de España. Mourinho is a cult of personality who has great locker room leadership skills. If he were to lead this club’s squad, he very well may get them to rally around him and be able to get the most out of them, not only through his tactics but also his man management. Club president Florentino Pérez may think the club benefits from giving Mourinho another shot at leading Real Madrid because of the successes he’s had since his last stint at the club, but also because of his starpower and legend status as a head coach.
