When it was announced from Sabener Street in Munich that Carlo Ancelotti would be succeeding Pep Guardiola as head coach for Bayern Munich from the 2016-17 season onwards, everyone out there was positive the Italian's appointment due to his proven record at several clubs across Europe which included leading AC Milan and Real Madrid to the coveted Champions League.
Now as we are drawing to a close of his first season in charge, all the Bayern fans might not be having the same view anymore. The team has regressed in general and Ancelotti has failed to strike the balance between the old-aged stars and the younger players on the bench.
His failure to rotate has led to some amount of dissatisfaction within the squad and the Bundesliga champions saw themselves been knocked out of the Champions League and DFB Pokal in quarter and semi-finals respectively. Even though Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has mentioned that Ancelotti's contract runs till 2019 and he is definitely going to be the manager for Bayern next season, we take a look at five possible replacements that the Bavarian can look if the situation becomes really awry.
#5 Julian Nagelsmann
The 29-year-old German coaching prodigy broke onto the scene last season after a struggling Hoffenheim replaced Dutch veteran Huub Stevens and promoted Nagelsmann as the first team coach. Nicknamed "Mini-Mourinho" by former German international Tim Weise, Nagelsmann steered Hoffenheim out of the drop zone and finished in 15th place in his debut season.
The summer of 2016 didn't help his cause much as he lost key players like Kevin Volland but that was never going to deter his ambitions. With a terrifically versatile style of play, Nagelsmann's Hoffenheim has qualified for next season's Champions League after having guaranteed a top four finish in the Bundesliga.
A manager who stresses on keeping possession and creating gaps in the pitch, he is who likes to see the ball move around the pitch, hitting opponents on the counter while building from the back. His preferred formations include a 3-5-2 which can be re-organized to a 5-3-2 with ease as and when the situations require.
He has also a very proven record as youth coach having coached U16 to U19 teams across clubs in Southern Germany leading the Hoffenheim U19 team to the regional league title. The baby-faced mastermind is known to have a soft corner for Bayern Munich and if he continues to lead Hoffenheim to further glory it might not be long to be an ideal successor at Bayern.
#4 Lucien Favre
The veteran Swiss coach comes with loads of experience under his belt. The 59-year-old has coached Hertha Berlin and Borussia Monchengladbach in Germany with his tenure at The Foals more or less being fairly successful having brought the club from relegation drop-zone in his debut season to Europa and Champions League spots in the seasons that followed. He can also be credited as on who has had huge contributions in the development of Marc-Andre Ter Stegen and Granit Xhaka.
Following his resignation at Gladbach, he was appointed coach of OGC Nice in France last season where he has done an excellent job in keeping the pressure on AS Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain throughout the season and has confirmed a third place finish for the club which guarantees them a Europa League spot.
Favre's playing style is similar to Diego Simeone's Atletico though he has fused local elements to create something pretty unique. His major attention goes to a proper defensive formation as he loves his team to sit deep and defend – following it up with a fast paced counter using the width of the wings and the centre of the park if possible.
With the players Bayern have got at their disposal, adapting a pro-defensive strategy while hitting on the counter should not be much of an issue and this makes Favre an ideal candidate to replace Ancelotti.
#3 Leonardo Jardim
One of the newest names to turn heads around on the coaching circuit, the 42-year-old Portuguese has proven his worth during his spell at Sporting Clube de Portugal and presently at AS Monaco. Having had squads blessed with youth talent as well as experienced players, Jardim who has been coaching since the age of 27, has learnt to make the best use of his players, be it young or the experienced or a combination of both.
Known for his fearless brand of attractive attacking football with some compromises in defense, Jardim's Monaco can give most teams a run for their money on their day. And wins over big names like Arsenal and Manchester City in the Champions League stand as testaments to their prowess.
Boasting a 67.57 % and 56.02% win record at Sporting CP and AS Monaco respectively, Jardim is well on his way to hand Monaco their first Ligue 1 title since 1999-00 with only a win separating them from the coveted silverware. Leonardo Jardim would be an ideal fit for Bayern which has been branded as an attacking side in recent times as his philosophy goes well in sync with the type of football Bayern are known to play.
#2 Pal Dardai
The Hungarian who played for Hertha Berlin SC during his playing days took over reigns at the capital club on 5th February 2015 and within a space of a few months, he saved the club from relegation. The following season onwards, he made his squad pretty stable and infused his philosophy and tactics well enough to keep them fighting for Europa League spots for the second season in a row.
Dardai is a very efficient manager and connects very well with the players on a personal level which keeps the dressing room buzzing. The 41-year-old Hertha Berlin legend has implemented a very dynamic style of play with 4-2-3-1 being his preferred formation in attack which changes to 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 during whilst falling back. He prefers solidity in midfield which changes into a dangerous free flowing attack which causes oppositions some amount of trouble.
With the results that Dardai has churned out of a squad like Hertha, it can only give people optimism about him succeeding if he joins Bayern Munich as a replacement for Carlo Ancelotti.
#1 Max Allegri
The present Juventus manager is a hot cake among managerial prospects in world football right now. Allegri inherited a relatively stable team from his predecessor Antonio Conte but has shown his versatile side which ultimately is reaping positive results for Juventus having taken the Old Lady to the Champions League final to be played against Real Madrid next month.
Despite losing key players like Paul Pogba, Arturo Vidal and Kingsley Coman, Allegri with the support of an excellent board of directors has strengthened Juventus to the next level which has made the team amongst the top ones in Europe.
Allegri has been versatile in his tactical approach and his choice of 4-2-3-1 has been widely praised. It changes to 4-4-1-1 in a defensive shape while falling back. They also have played with 3 at the back showing Allegri's ability to vary his approach according to the needs of the game.
With the Bayern culture similar to that of Juventus, Allegri would be an ideal replacement for Carlo Ancelotti who rotates his squad well and the added tactical versatility only being an added plus for Bayern Munich.
