Real Madrid's firing of Carlo Ancelotti is absurd, but entirely predictable

The only thing that stays the same at Real Madrid is change.

It has, outside some intermittent exceptions over the years, always been that way. It likely always will be. That's the atmosphere at the Santiago Bernabeu. That's the history, and we all know how important that word is to Spain's most successful club.

It makes the job one of the most enticing on the planet, and it makes the job one of - if not the - most demanding in all of football.

Players come and go, most for exorbitant transfer fees, and managers (especially managers) are paraded out to acclaim upon their arrival, only to be kicked out the door at the first sign of failure. Or success, as it happens. Just ask Fabio Capello.

Carlo Ancelotti failed this season. When you measure success in silver and gold, as Real Madrid does, that point becomes impossible to argue. Like clockwork, he was fired on Monday.

President Florentino Perez made official what has been inevitable since Los Blancos were ousted from the semi-finals of Champions League at the hands of Juventus earlier this month, saying that the club "needs a new impulse" after a season bereft of silverware.

The lightning rod responsible for that impulse, Perez noted, will be revealed next week. His team, given the absurd quality of talent, will play thrilling football next season. He'll likely have some new, shiny toys to play with after another summer of lavish expenditure. Cristiano Ronaldo will score plenty of goals. It will be fun to watch.

And if he loses, he too will be looking for work.

Whether the new bench boss - be it Rafa Benitez, Jurgen Klopp, or a surprise candidate - will be as understanding as the eyebrow-raising Italian upon his exit remains to be seen.

Ancelotti, ever the diplomat, knew what he was getting into.

"If the club is happy, I can continue; if not, they will have to take a decision. The club has the right to change coach if it is not happy," the 55-year-old said after a 2-2 draw with Valencia earlier this month that all but ceded the league crown to bitter rivals Barcelona.

He knew that last season, his first, was nothing short of outstanding. Four trophies, including the vaunted Decima, were delivered by Ancelotti. Egos were managed. The goals were flowing. Jose Mourinho's yawn-inducing football was a distant memory.

But that was last year. What have you done for me lately?

Lose in the Champions League semi-final to a very good, but ultimately inferior, Juventus side. Miss out on the league title to arguably the best attacking team ever seen ... by a whole two points.

None of that warrants shame. None of it is disgraceful. And yet, it's not nearly enough when the title affixed to your name tag reads "manager of Real Madrid."

The club, as has so often been the case, was not happy. Unhappiness is dealt with swiftly in the Spanish capital. It doesn't take long to hand out a pink slip.

It didn't take long for Jose Antonio Camacho - in either of his two spells, the first of which lasting a mere 22 days. Nor did it take long for Capello. Or Juande Ramos. Or Manuel Pellegrini.

Since Vicente del Bosque, who left the club in 2003 after a lengthy (by comparison) four-year spell, Real Madrid has employed 11 managers. Ancelotti's replacement will become the 12th. Just three league titles have been won in that time, much of it with Florentino Perez at the helm.

When pointedly asked why Ancelotti was fired, Perez could not deliver a legitimate answer.

He didn't have to. It was time for a change, because it's always time for a change.

Carlo Ancelotti's replacement may very well struggle to replicate his predecessor's success. No matter. He'll be new. And that's the only thing that matters at Real Madrid.