Top 6 replacements for Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid

Zinedine Zidane, the mastermind at the helm for Real Madrid's double-winning act last season has already embraced the possibility of being sacked sooner or later given the team's terrible run of form.

The Frenchman might have guided Real Madrid to consecutive UEFA Champions League titles and a league title after five years, but that will do nothing to ensure his stay at the Bernabeu.

Los Merengues are well known for their ruthless approach towards players and managers who fail to churn out the expected results. With the problems Real Madrid are currently facing, president Florentino Perez might already have drawn his list of possible successors for the magical Zidane.

With the legacy the Frenchman has built at the Bernabeu, following his vast success in a short span, who is worthy enough to fill his boots? Let's have a look.

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#6 Marcelino Garcia Toral

Marcelino has rejuvenated FC Valencia

For the past few years, Valencia haven't been considered a threat in Spain, as the Madrid clubs and Barcelona have simply dominated. The likes of Gary Neville, Pako Ayestarán, and Cesare Prandelli failed to maintain La Che's claim to being the third best team in La Liga.

But, dark times seem to have vanished as Valencia are one of the teams to watch this season. They are playing an exciting brand of counter-attacking football under Marcelino, sitting above both Real Madrid, and Atletico Madrid.

Valencia are one of the few clubs still unbeaten across Europe this season (alongside FC Barcelona, PSG and Manchester City), boasting a defence most have found tough to break.

A large part of that, is thanks to Marcelino Garcia Toral - the mastermind behind Valencia's redemption. The Spaniard has showcased his ability to build a team with limited finances and also transform players into world-class talents. Have a look at how the likes of how Simeone Zaza and Carlos Soler have been on fire this season.

Real Madrid have lacked desire and the willingness to turn deficits into victories this season. Marcelino's appointment would certainly reinstate the lacking determination required for the Los Blancos to win games.

Also, though he uses an age-old 4-4-2 formation much different to Real's 4-3-3, the ingredients are quite the same: counter-attacks through the flanks, use of agile and pacy players and excessive use of through balls for breaking the opposition defences.

Marcelino is the man for transitions and should he take the role as a coach at the Bernabeu, we will definitely start to see the vigorous Real Madrid of old.

#5 Maurizio Sarri

Napoli have become a team to watch under Maurizio Sarri

“I respect him, but he's not the right coach for a winning Napoli."

Diego Maradona will be eating his words after watching Napoli top the Italian Serie A under Maurizio Sarri. The Italian's appointment in Naples wasn't welcomed but the fans will be thanking the board for letting him take on the hot seat in 2015.

Rafael Benitez's departure after a fifth-place finish saw Sarri guiding the Partenopei to the second spot, with an improvement of 19 points. In the following season, the club finished third and had to cope with the loss of in-form striker Gonzalo Higuain.

However, the Argentine now lies forgotten in the history books as the front three of Jose Callejon, Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens are taking Serie A by storm. The trio netted 71 times in total last season and have replicated the form this year.

The Italian's highly-pressing 4-3-3 system, with a solid defensive wall, perfectly suits Real Madrid's style of play. Also, Napoli have shown a strong desire to come back from losing positions and wing games, much like the Real Madrid of old used to do.

Although he favours a possession-based style of play much different to the counter-attacking and free-flowing football at Real Madrid, the philosophical change seems prudent, seeing how Real seem to have lost pace.

With Bale mostly injured and Ronaldo no more the speedy wide man he was two years ago, Real could do well to depend on the technicalities of their stellar and creative midfield to fire them to glory.

Comparing the depths of squads at Madrid and Napoli, Sarri will get better flexibility at the former to work his magic and bring the Los Blancos back to the top.

#4 Unai Emery

Unai Emery won the UEFA Europa League with Sevilla twice

The Pais Saint-Germain boss has to be on this list, considering his history of achievements. Unai Emery came into the spotlight as one of the world's elite managers when he arrived at the Parc des Princes, but his magic of management stretches back to more than a decade.

None of the clubs Unai Emery took over at, were stable during his appointment. However, the Spaniard's tactical acumen saw them improve their results. At present, Paris Saint-Germain are already touted as the team to beat and a major chunk of credit goes to Emery for their meteoric rise in Europe.

Real Madrid's underfire forwards are the main reason why they have spiralled down this season. The use of Cristiano Ronaldo as a striker in a 4-3-1-2 clearly isn't working. To top that, Zidane has been rotating players and tried out five different formations, which has given them less time to settle in a particular formation.

Emery, on the other hand, has stuck to a 4-3-3 format in 12 games this season, which has rewarded him with 10 wins and 34 goals.

Emery has, of course, got his forwards firing on all cylinders apart from having a good squad. But, the Los Merengues appear to have an attack good enough to rival the quality of PSG.

Unai Emery will bring the required tactical stability Zidane has failed to achieve this season. In his term with Valencia in 2010, the Spaniard proved his tactical acumen by achieving a third-place finish even after the loss of players like David Silva and David Villa. In doing so, Emery has proved he is better at handling the loss of quality players than Zinedine Zidane.

Also, Unai Emery has become well-adept at handling big egos; a crucial thing for a coach to know while in charge at the Bernabeu. Real cannot find a better candidate to restore them to glory other than Emery, who has brought clubs out of shambles in his managerial history.

#3 Massimiliano Allegri

Juventus have reached Champions League final twice under Massimiliano Allegri

Massimiliano Allegri was received with harsh criticism at Juventus in 2014 as Antonio Conte's successor. However, the Italian has proved his ability, by winning 7 trophies and ending runners-up of the UEFA Champions League twice.

With talents such as Andrea Pirlo, Carlos Tevez, Paul Pogba, Alvaro Morata, and Arturo Vidal moving on, everyone expected the Old Lady to suffer a slump.

However, Allegri's tactical prowess has seen Juventus becoming better in spite of the departure of world-class players. In a manner of speaking, the Italian has rightly followed Sir Alex Ferguson's art of reinventing his squad with limited available finances.

Italian clubs are known to build their teams around a strong defense. Evidently, Zidane has failed to shore up the abysmal backline at Real Madrid; a drawback that has seen them fall 10 points behind Barcelona in the league this year.

Should Allegri take up the Bernabeu job, the Los Blancos will certainly see a sturdy wall at the back being built under his stewardship. The defensive approach need not scare the fans, as Allegri's style of switching formations during games will allow the team to net a plethora of goals.

Apparently, the Old Lady play with a 3-5-2 while in defence and switch to 4-2-3-1 for attacking opponents.

From a 3-5-2 to a 4-3-1-2 to a 4-4-2 to a 4-2-3-1 and most recently to a 3-4-3, Allegri has aptly proved his talent at achieving success with different tactics. Finding a formation that will overcome Real's frailties won't be a tedious job for him, will it?

The quality of players at Real Madrid will guarantee the Italian a wider tactical flexibility. Undoubtedly, Massimiliano Allegri has everything needed to usher in another golden age like Zinedine Zidane's at the Santiago Bernabeu.

#2 Joachim Löw

Joachim Loew has won the World Cup with Germany as a coach

At present, Real Madrid couldn't ask for a better coach than a World Cup-winning manager. Joachim Loew's stellar resume as the coach of German national team hasn't gone unnoticed.

Let's have a look at his history in club management. VfB Stuttgart is probably the only well-known club he has managed before stepping up as the national team coach. But, will that cause a problem for the German should he put pen to paper at the Bernabeu?

Certainly not. When it comes to the national team, the magnitude of egos is much greater. Secondly, unlike the club manager, a national coach works with the squad after a gap of months and has lesser time for experimenting with tactics; something that makes the international management more tedious than it seems to be.

Also, an international manager has no transfer market available to strengthen his squad.

Considering the aforementioned nuances, Löw has done a great job with winning a World Cup, a Confederations Cup and securing a runner-up medal in the 2008 Euro.

If Loew can achieve silverware despite the cons of international management, coaching a club won't be that difficult, will it? At Real, he will be monitoring players day in day out; something he hasn't been able to do with the German side.

Madrid have always followed his style of free-flowing and counter-attacking football, which becomes another reason why Perez should sign him.

Real Madrid will, of course, be a big challenge considering his absence from club management for a decade. But, Joachim Löw can definitely weave his magic at the Bernabeu, considering the flexibility he will be offered in the role of a club manager.

#1 Antonio Conte

Antonio Conte is unsure of his future at Chelsea next year

Probably the best option for Real Madrid available in the market at present.

Tactical acumen, trophies, and experience. Antonio Conte has it all. Would you expect anything less from a man who has honed his skills under the likes of Sacchi, Ancelotti, Trapattoni, and Lippi?

Italian champions Juventus owe a lot to Conte for reinstating them to their former glory. Since the Italian left, the Old Lady has successfully established itself as one of the best teams across Europe. Coming to his work at Chelsea, the Italian hasn't disappointed, albeit, the Blues have seen a rocky start to this season.

What gives Conte an upper hand over his former teammate is his ability to study the opponents and adapt to different situations. Unlike Zidane, who will stick to a formation regardless of how the opponents play, Conte prefers adjusting his teams in a way that will exploit the weaknesses of his rivals.

Also, the Italian's teams in the past have highlighted a sturdy defence, which is a dire need for the Los Merengues at present.

Antonio Conte remains one of the only 5 managers to win the Premier League title in their debut season in England. The fact that he is proven Premier League material must be enough for Perez to recruit him.

There is already rife speculation about Conte leaving Chelsea at the end of the season. And though he has stated his desire to return to Italy, the sight of Real Madrid standing in line for his signature could be enough to change his heart.

All in all, Antonio Conte to Real Madrid is a match made in heaven!