Real's game of thrones feat. Mourinho

It has been but a couple of days that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez announced to the world that José Mourinho would be leaving the Los Blancos at the end of the current season. It was but an open secret in La Liga, but a lot many Mourinhistas were still hoping against hope that “The Special One” would carry on managing their club. But alas, that was not to be! So what exactly prompted his departure and what would be the best way forward for both Mourinho and Real? Well, let’s take a closer look.

Reasons behind Mourinho’s departure

If look at the statistics, it will seem incongruous with reason that a manager of Mourinho’s calibre could be asked to leave a club after all that he has achieved in his illustrious managerial career. Firstly, he has never finished a full season managing a club without winning a trophy. Secondly, he has a more than 50 % win record with every team that he has managed so far. Besides, he has not only reached the UEFA Champion’s league semis with 4 different teams but has also won the domestic league, cup and super cups in 4 different countries. Beat that if you can. Mentored by the great Sir Bobby Robson himself, Mourinho is beyond doubt, one of the most exciting managers in the world of football today.

So now the question is, what exactly prompted Mourinho’s departure from Real Madrid? The answer could be given from two perspectives.

1. From Mourinho’s viewpoint

Mourinho himself admitted that the current season with Real has been the worst of his career. Of course he helped Real regain the Supercopa de España from Barcelona, but Real’s quest for silverware this season ended just there. If losing La Liga to Barca was not enough, Real was knocked out of the Champion’s League semis yet again by Borussia Dortmund, of all teams, apart from losing the Copa del Rey final to city rivals Atletico Madrid. Besides, his rift with Real’s management just seemed to widen with each passing day.

2. From the club’s viewpoint

Mourinho has increasingly alienated a lot many Real supporters with his recent antics on and off the field and his poor treatment of the Galácticos like Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos, apart from his never-ending list of complaints and excuses after every defeat. In the end, it were the Madristas who won the battle between the Mourinhistas and the Madristas, and Mourinho was shown the door.

Possible replacements for Mourinho

Nothing can be said with conviction in the blurry world of football transfers until and unless a deal has actually been signed with a player and a formal announcement has been made regarding new signings. Ditto for managers. Whatever we say would be mere speculation, but that’s exactly what we are all so good at, aren’t we? So here are three managers that Real Madrid can approach to help them get back to the pinnacle of European football. While Ancelotti and Heynckes have already been engaged in talks with Real, Mancini could also be able to carry the weight of managing this historic club on his able shoulders.

1. Carlo Ancelotti (Paris Saint-Germain)

Pros

i) He has had a tremendous run with PSG this season as he helped them win their first Ligue 1 title in 19 years and was adjudged the Ligue 1 coach of the year.

ii) He is said to be highly favoured by Real President Florentino Perez.

iii) He is highly respected in football circles and is not a controversy-king unlike Mourinho.

iv) His astounding record speaks for itself (2 Champions League trophies with Milan, domestic league championships in 3 different countries and a FIFA Club World Cup that has eluded Mourinho this far).

Cons

i) His last season at Chelsea was anything but a bed of roses and Real is probably the only club in Europe that can be as demanding as Chelsea.

ii) PSG is extremely unwilling to part with him.

2. Jupp Heynckes (Bayern Munich)

Pros

i) He has years of experience behind him having managed 11 different clubs since 1979.

ii) He had led Real to Champions League glory in 1997-98 and could be the perfect choice given Real’s decade-long futile pursuit for the Champion’s League trophy.

iii) He made a successful return to Bayern Munich for the third time helping them reach two consecutive Champion League finals beating Real last year and then convincingly thrashing Barca this year in the semis.

iv) He is set to retire at the end of the current season at Bayern and can be easily lured to Real.

Cons

i) His performance graph as a manager has seen a lot of crests (Bayern and Real) and troughs (Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Mönchengladbach).

ii) At 68, age is not exactly on his side in today’s world of young football coaches.

3. Roberto Mancini (currently without a club)

Pros

i) If his turnaround of insanely rich, yet shockingly inconsistent Manchester City into a force to reckon with is anything to go by, he can create a lot of magic at Real.

ii) His amazing managerial record can leave his sturdiest opponent awestruck (domestic league championships in 2 different countries, domestic cup with 4 different teams, domestic league hattrick at Inter Milan).

iii) His “defence first” tactics can ensure that a repeat of Real’s recent 4-1 Champion’s League drubbing at the hands of Borussia Dortmund or the infamous 5-0 rout at Nou Camp in November, 2010 is not repeated anytime soon.

Cons

i) He has never won a Champion’s League managing only to take Inter to the quarter-finals twice.

ii) He has a history of alienating star players like Mario Balotelli and Craig Bellamy, to name a few.

iii) His recent career at City seems to be an exact image of the downward spiral of Mourinho at Real. Both won the respective domestic cups in their 1^st season as manager, the domestic league in their 2^nd season but only the domestic super cup in their 3^rd before their unceremonious exit. Besides, both have been linked to their former clubs (Mourinho to Chelsea and Mancini to Inter).

Possible destinations for Mourinho

If recent reports are to be believed, Mourinho is all set to return to the abode of the Terry’s and the Lampard’s. Well, that is possibly true and a formal confirmation could come any moment now, but still Chelsea is not the only choice for “The Special One”. So let us take a quick glimpse into the clubs that may possibly interest Mourinho and the reasons that may prod him to join one of them.

1. Chelsea (managed by Rafa Benitez)

i) At Chelsea, he can achieve what he failed last time: the much feted Champion’s League trophy. After all, if Roberto di Matteo could do it, so can Mourinho.

ii) It would be a huge ego boost for Mourinho as it would show that even after all the Grants, Ancelottis, Matteos and Boas; Mourinho is still the one for Chelsea.

iii) He still commands huge respect from a lot of Chelsea players like Lampard. Even recent recruits like Mata were heard praising him.

iv) He could be in a club where anything but money is a concern. Needless to say, Mourinho could pull off quite a few exciting transfers for the next season.

2. Manchester City (managed by Brian Kidd)

i) Mourinho could challenge himself to achieve much more than his predecessor Mancini, one of his fiercest rivals.

ii) These are exciting times for City. They have established themselves as serious contenders for the Premier League and F.A. Cup, Alex Ferguson has retired and the City owners don’t seem to mind spending a few millions during the transfer window: perfect circumstances for any manager to make an entry.

3. Paris Saint-Germain (managed by Carlo Ancelotti)

i) PSG will provide Mourinho with the opportunity to add another domestic league title to his résumé.

ii) Ancelotti started a renaissance at PSG and Mourinho could take it a step further.

iii) Managing an upcoming club in a not-so-famous league would provide him with a new challenge which Chelsea would not be able to provide.

Only time will tell what’s in store for Real and Mourinho. But whatever be the outcome of all the negotiations behind closed doors and the conjectures out in the open, one thing is for sure. After the departure of Mourinho from Real and the return to football of Pep Guardiola as manager at Bayern; the rise of Borussia Dortmund and the gradual erosion of Barca’s dominance; and most importantly, the retirement of Beckham, Carragher and Ferguson; football will never be the same again. So cheers to Real and cheers to Mourinho, but most of all, cheers to the new dawn in football. Long live the beautiful game!