Real Madrid sack Carlo Ancelotti, new manager will be known next week
The axe finally came down at the Santiago Bernabeu, as Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was sacked on Monday.
Florentino Pérez: "Quiero comunicarles que la Junta ha adoptado la decisión de relevar a Carlo Ancelotti como entrenador del Real Madrid"
— Real Madrid C. F. (@realmadrid) May 25, 2015
Nowhere does a season of limited silverware carry the same implications as it does at Real Madrid, and Ancelotti's undoing was marked by precisely that. Once it emerged that the club would be ending the 2014-15 campaign without a Champions League title or a La Liga title, it became painfully clear that his time in Spain's capital was about to expire.
Simply put, success in the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup isn't enough at Real Madrid.
Related: Real Madrid's firing of Carlo Ancelotti is absurd, but entirely predictable
President Florentino Perez announced the decision at a press conference, in which he also stated that Real Madrid will have a new manager by next week.
"It hasn't been an easy decision but it's time to give new momentum to the team to conquer new titles," Perez said. "I want to publicly thank Carlo Ancelotti for his work during these two years. I've been with Carlo Ancelotti before coming here. I can only say that he's a man, a gentleman, and I understand him.
"The new manager will be known next week. It would be very good if the new manager speaks Spanish.
"The players have manifested the affection they have for Carlo, the same that I have as well as the supporters. The shows of support for Carlo Ancelotti seem correct to me. It doesn't bother me, they're a display of affection. Madrid's requirements are of such a nature that we want to achieve our maximum competitive level.
"There is never guilt. The post of manager suffers from deterioration.
"I want to announce to you that the Board of Directors has taken the decision to relieve Carlo Ancelotti as manager of Real Madrid."
Ancelotti, whose stint at the club will be highlighted by the 2013-14 Champions League title, took to Twitter after Perez's press conference, writing: "I leave with the memory of two fantastic years at Real Madrid. Thank you to the club, to the supporters and to my players. Hala Madrid and Nothing More."