May 26, 2015 08:22:59 UK
Real Madrid have sacked head coach Carlo Ancelotti at the end of a season which has seen them fail to add to the packed trophy cabinet at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real were beaten to the Primera Liga title by Barcelona and defeated in the Champions League semi-finals by Juventus, while their Copa del Rey hopes were ended in the last-16 by city rivals Atletico.
What did Ancelotti do wrong? I don’t know.
Florentino Perez
And that was enough to see Ancelotti, who took charge in the summer of 2013 and guided Real to a Champions League and Copa del Rey double in his first season, shown the door by the Madrid hierarchy.
A statement from president Florentino Perez, which also confirmed that a new head coach will be appointed next week, revealed: “It was a very difficult decision to make – the demands at this club are the utmost because Madrid always wants to win silverware.
“What did Ancelotti do wrong? I don’t know. The demands here at Real Madrid are very high.
“With our great team, talent and hard work, we will be able to give satisfaction and happiness to our fans and our members.”
Ex-Valencia and Liverpool and current Napoli head coach Rafa Benitez is rumoured to be the leading candidate to succeed Ancelotti, with former Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp and Sevilla tactician Unai Emery also being mentioned.
Real can be backed at 2.50 to win La Liga next season, with Barcelona 1.80 and Atletico Madrid 15.00.
For his part Ancelotti says he is likely to take a year away from the game, with a long-term back problem likely to force him to undergo surgery.
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