Zidane out at Real Madrid: 5 managers who could replace him

Antonio Conte (Chelsea)

Several things need to happen in order to get Conte to Madrid. Although the Italian has signaled both that he wants to stay at Chelsea but also would take a job back in his home country, this would all hinge on whether former Napoli manager Maurizio Sarri does end up at Chelsea.

Conte is a great manager. He had lots of success at Juventus and later Italy, and won the title and an FA Cup with Chelsea in two seasons. His enthusiasm on the sidelines is a joy to watch, but his 3-4-3 system can often be dour. Under Zidane, Real weren’t known for its tactics. They relied heavily on the goalscoring of Cristiano Ronaldo and the individual quality of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos in midfield. It’s a formula that worked this past season in a relatively short tournament like the Champions League, but failed to produce enough wins to compete for the league.

Conte would bring a system that’s better organized and one that could compete on multiple fronts. He is also used to dealing with big egos, something a manager at Real would need to handle on a daily basis. Conte is a lot like Zidane in this regard. He’s a former player and someone who can relate to his players. This makes him a good fit at Real Madrid.