Real Madrid find themselves in unfamiliar territories, having been on the receiving end of two hammerings from FC Barcelona and AC Milan in their last two matches.
Things are clearly not going well for manager Carlo Ancelotti and even though there appears to be confidence in the Italian to turn things around, a strong reaction and immediate improvement in results will be needed or a sack could be on the cards.
Xabi Alonso has been linked as the preferred target to take over from the Italian, but a mid-season move for the Bayer Leverkusen manager might not be possible.
As such, Real Madrid seem to have identified other alternatives to take over if they are forced to move on from Ancelotti in the coming weeks.
Zinedine Zidane an option
Indeed, according to SPORT, the name of Zinedine Zidane is back on the Real Madrid managerial shortlist if things do not improve in the coming games and Ancelotti faces the axe.
The legendary former midfielder has had two successful runs as the manager of the Merengues and is someone that club president Florentino Perez turns to in situations of crisis – like he did when things were not going well under Rafael Benitez and Santiago Solari.
Zidane has not taken up any managerial job since leaving Real Madrid in 2021 and his immediate availability and credit at the club could see him become a serious candidate in case of Ancelotti’s mid-season sacking.
Alvaro Arbeloa another option
The report further adds that Real Madrid could also turn to current Juvenil A team head coach and another former star, Alvaro Arbeloa, as an interim manager if Ancelotti is removed from his position.
Arbeloa has been working wonders with the Merengues’ Under-19 setup, helping unearth and polish several young talents from La Fabrica and could be seen as an option to replace Ancelotti, albeit only in an ‘interim’ capacity.
As reported yesterday, Castilla manager Raul Gonzalez and club director and former head coach Santiago Solari are also options as emergency replacements.