Real Madrid Manager: Ranking the Candidates in Line to Be in Charge at the Bernabeu Next Season

Real Madrid's brief revival under Santiago Solari appears to be ending as quickly as it began, with back-to-back Clásico defeats to Barcelona sending even the most upbeat of Los Blancos fans into a period of deep mourning.

As things stand, the club stand very little chance of overhauling the 12 point gap that separates them from the league leaders (guess who!), and surely only winning the Champions League would be enough to keep Solari in a job at the Bernabéu.

Understandably, the rumour mill has been furiously churning of late, as a host of elite managers have been linked to the position. Here's 90min's ranking of all the coaches who have a chance of managing Real next season...

Leonardo Jardim - Monaco

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Managing in Ligue 1 these days must be a dispiriting job for anyone who isn't at the helm of Paris Saint-Germain, whose eye-watering spending is likely to see them dominate the division for the foreseeable future.

Against the odds, Jardim's side won the competition back in 2017, and he's helped to transform the club's fortunes after being reappointed as manager following Thierry Henry's disastrous reign.

The 44-year-old has managed some fairly high profile clubs in his time, but taking the helm at the Bernabéu may be too much of a step-up at this point in his career.

Likelihood rating: 1/10

Santiago Solari - Real Madrid

As mentioned in the intro, if Solari wins the Champions League this season, there's no way he can be sacked, can there? Well, it did happen to Roberto Di Matteo at Chelsea...

There's something rather lovely about having an ex-player go on to manage the team they used to turn out for, and Real Madrid fans would surely love to see their former star midfielder go on to experience similar greatness as head coach.

Let's be serious though, the way things are going for the club this season, there's little chance the club will give him another shot to prove himself in the 2019/20 campaign.

Likelihood rating: 3/10

Antonio Conte - Unemployed

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Brutally sacked by Chelsea after winning both the Premier League and FA Cup with the club across two seasons, Antonio Conte looks ready to step back into the managerial hot-seat.

The high-spirited Italian has a lovely CV, with highly successful spell as Juventus - where he won three Serie A titles on the bounce! - sitting alongside a solid stint manager the international team.

Spain would pose a new challenge for Conte, but his record is speaks for itself, and winning some silverware in a third major league would an exceptional achievement.

Likelihood rating: 4/10 

Joachim Löw - Germany

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Joachim Löw has been in charge of the Germany national team for over a decade now, and enjoyed glorious World Cup success back in 2014, as his rampant side smashed Brazil 7-1 en route to winning the competition in the South American nation.

Well, Die Mannschaft had an appalling (and hilarious, depending on where your allegiances lie) 2018 World Cup, exiting in the group stages in dramatic fashion. The team is clearly in decline, and Löw could well call time on his spell as national team coach in the near future.

Liked by Florentino Perez, he's had decent spells managing clubs in both his native land and Austria in the past. Los Blancos could well jump at the chance to a manager who has experience of succeeding under high-pressure situations.

Likelihood rating: 5/10 

José Mourinho - Unemployed 

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Let's face it, José Mourinho did some catastrophic damage to his reputation during his relatively brief stint as Manchester United boss.

Sure, he won the (desperately) poor man's treble (League Cup, FA Cup & Europa League) with the club in his first season, but his side never stood a chance of winning the Premier League, and his now traditional bridge-burning, dressing room splitting exit didn't exactly paint ho

Now, Mourinho was and is a top quality manager, let's get that straight, and returning to Real Madrid - where he remains popular with the fans - to help them recapture their former glories could suit both parties very well indeed.

Likelihood rating: 7/10 

Massimiliano Allegri - Juventus

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Another candidate who has some fine managerial chops, Massimiliano Allegri is a lean, mean, league-winning machine.

However, the glaring elephant in the room (or sitting slap-bang in the middle of the CV) for Allegri is his sack of success in the Champions League. He's had to settle for being the bridesmaid on twice as Juve manager, as the honour of becoming the best team in Europe continually eludes him.

Real clearly like him, and like him a lot, but that niggling doubt over his ability to win their beloved competition could see him miss out on the job.

Likelihood rating: 8/10

Mauricio Pochettino - Spurs

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Believed to be on the club's three-man shortlist for the job (alongside Löw and Allegri), Tottenham Hotspur's Mauricio Pochettino looks to be number one candidate for the job.

As Manchester United go from strength to strength under caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjær, and the chances of the Norwegian getting the job permanently next season are looking increasingly likely - which would end the speculation linking Poch to the job.

Spurs just don't look like they've got the bottle to win anything under Pochettino, and he may well decide to jack in the job in the pursuit of greener pastures next summer. 

Appointing a manager who has won little of note during his career is a bold move, but Los Blancos look like they might be ready to take the plunge come the summer.

Likelihood rating: 9/10