Coach Transfers

[matt]

Real Madrid have sacked Rafael Benitez as head coach and replaced him with club icon Zinedine Zidane.

The former Napoli boss' time in charge was marred by fan discontent, rumours of dressing room unrest and a 4-0 home defeat to Barcelona in El Clasico.

Following his dismissal, we look at the key Opta stats on Benitez's reign and compare his La Liga record to that of Madrid's previous five managers.

Rafael Benitez

Benitez lasted only half a season at the helm, seeing his side expelled from the Copa del Rey, though they are through to the last 16 of the Champions League and sit third in La Liga.

La Liga record:

Games – 18
Wins – 11
Draws – 4
Losses – 3
Win percentage – 61.1 per cent

Carlo Ancelotti

Ancelotti spent two years in charge of Madrid between 2013 and 2015, winning a Champions League title in his first season, but paying the price for a trophyless second campaign.

La Liga record:

Games – 76
Wins – 57
Draws – 8
Losses – 11
Win percentage – 75 per cent

Jose Mourinho

The Special One spent three controversial seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu, winning one league title and a Copa del Rey, but lost out in three Champions League semi-finals.

La Liga record:

Games – 114
Wins – 87
Draws – 16
Losses – 11

Win percentage – 76.3 per cent

Manuel Pellegrini

Current Manchester City manager Pellegrini was in charge of Real Madrid for one season between 2009 and 2010, failing to win La Liga despite leading his team to 96 points.

La Liga record:

Games – 38
Wins – 31
Draws – 3
Losses – 4

Win percentage – 81.6 per cent

Juande Ramos

Ramos only managed the club for six more La Liga games than Benitez between 2008 and 2009 after replacing Bernd Schuster.

La Liga record:

Games – 24
Wins – 17
Draws – 1
Losses – 6

Win percentage – 70.8 per cent

Bernd Schuster

The German was in charge for a year and a half between 2007 and 2008, winning La Liga in his first season before stepping down as Madrid struggled in his second campaign.

Games – 52
Wins – 35
Draws – 6
Losses – 11

Win Percentage – 67.3 per cent

Looking at all the managers they had in the recent years i say Real Madrid board and fans are very spoilt people. They can't accept anyone, even the man that won La Decima.
Pathetic middle class people
I always support Barcelona and Atletico against them.

[bugylibicska]

Ancelotti`s sacking and replacing him with Benitez obviously backfired, it was written on the wall from the beginning, I thought. As for the fans of Real Madrid being spoilt, you bet they`re. Between 1956 (the 1st ever EC) - 1966 they`ve won 6 times and were losing finalists twice, they`ve literally ruled the land. With a history like theirs the demand should be very high. I don`t like them anymore due to the many controversies surrounding them, but in my mind they`re the No.1 club overall.
To appreciate their dominance of the times, the 3 clubs most successful in the last decade (2006-15) Barcelona (4 wins), Bayern (1 win, twice losing finalists), MU (1 win, twice losing finalists) comparable only adding their tallies together.

[Aidann]

Real Madrid Between 1956 - 1966 they`ve won 6 times. To appreciate their dominance of the times, the 3 clubs most successful in the last decade (2006-15) Barcelona (4 wins), Bayern (1 win, twice losing finalists), MU (1 win, twice losing finalists) comparable only adding their tallies together.

Well, in the old days it was not so hard to win the European Cup. You just had to knock out a couple of minnows and you were right into the semifinals. Take a look at all the rivals Real Madrid had to eliminate to get their first six titles:

1955–56
Servette (SUI)
Partizan (YUG)
Stade Reims (FRA)
Milan (ITA)

1956–57
Rapid Wien (AUT)
Nice (FRA)
Fiorentina (ITA)
Manchester United (ENG)

1957–58
Royal Antwerp (BEL)
Vasas (HUN)
Sevilla (ESP)
Milan (ITA)

1958–59
Wiener Sport-Club (AUT)
Beşiktaş (TUR)
Stade Reims (FRA)
Atlético Madrid (ESP)

1959–60
Jeunesse Esch (LUX)
Nice (FRA)
Eintracht Frankfurt (WGE)
Barcelona (ESP)

1965–66
Kilmarnock (SCO)
Feyenoord (NED)
Anderlecht (BEL)
Partizan (YUG)
Internazionale (ITA)

On the other hand, these are the rivals Barcelona had to get past to lift their latest UCL trophy:
Manchester City (ENG)
Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
Bayern Munich (GER)
Juventus (ITA)
(plus Apoel, Ajax and PSG in the group stage)

[Thunder_PT]

Real Madrid Between 1956 - 1966 they`ve won 6 times. To appreciate their dominance of the times, the 3 clubs most successful in the last decade (2006-15) Barcelona (4 wins), Bayern (1 win, twice losing finalists), MU (1 win, twice losing finalists) comparable only adding their tallies together.

Well, in the old days it was not so hard to win the European Cup. You just had to knock out a couple of minnows and you were right into the semifinals. Take a look at all the rivals Real Madrid had to eliminate to get their first six titles:

1955–56
Servette (SUI)
Partizan (YUG)
Stade Reims (FRA)
Milan (ITA)

1956–57
Rapid Wien (AUT)
Nice (FRA)
Fiorentina (ITA)
Manchester United (ENG)

1957–58
Royal Antwerp (BEL)
Vasas (HUN)
Sevilla (ESP)
Milan (ITA)

1958–59
Wiener Sport-Club (AUT)
Beşiktaş (TUR)
Stade Reims (FRA)
Atlético Madrid (ESP)

1959–60
Jeunesse Esch (LUX)
Nice (FRA)
Eintracht Frankfurt (WGE)
Barcelona (ESP)

1965–66
Kilmarnock (SCO)
Feyenoord (NED)
Anderlecht (BEL)
Partizan (YUG)
Internazionale (ITA)

On the other hand, these are the rivals Barcelona had to get past to lift their latest UCL trophy:
Manchester City (ENG)
Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
Bayern Munich (GER)
Juventus (ITA)
(plus Apoel, Ajax and PSG in the group stage)

I disagree it was easier. Some of those names are small now but were big then. Reims were a big deal at the time, had Kopa (who ended up going to Real Madrid), why is it more impressive to knock out PSG today than Reims then? Also, eastern european teams were much stronger at the time, it's not like getting past a Partizan was a formality (it was 4-3 aggregate, all home goals). But mainly, it was much more difficult to merely enter it. They had to beat the other Spanish teams to the title first (with the exception of when they were the defending champions). So for their first title they had to beat:
Barcelona, Athletic (part of the big 3 at the time) and all other Spanish teams.
Servette (SUI)
Partizan (YUG)
Stade Reims (FRA)
Milan (ITA)

Suddenly it doesn't look so easy. This is no longer needed, you can finish 4th and still have a chance to win the CL, so it's easier now.

[AlanK]

I disagree it was easier. Some of those names are small now but were big then. Reims were a big deal at the time, had Kopa (who ended up going to Real Madrid), why is it more impressive to knock out PSG today than Reims then? Also, eastern european teams were much stronger at the time, it's not like getting past a Partizan was a formality (it was 4-3 aggregate, all home goals). But mainly, it was much more difficult to merely enter it. They had to beat the other Spanish teams to the title first (with the exception of when they were the defending champions). So for their first title they had to beat:
Barcelona, Athletic (part of the big 3 at the time) and all other Spanish teams.
Servette (SUI)
Partizan (YUG)
Stade Reims (FRA)
Milan (ITA)

Suddenly it doesn't look so easy. This is no longer needed, you can finish 4th and still have a chance to win the CL, so it's easier now.

If you lost a matchup back then you were out--no GS
And then there's the seeding question. Some of the early draws in the early days could produce extremely difficult opponents. I didn't come onto the scene until the middle to late '60s and early '70s, when Atleti drew the pre-tournament favorite (Cagliari) in the second round.

[bugylibicska]

I agree with Thunder_PT, those teams in the past cannot be dismissed as ``minnows``. For example, I remember seeing the Vasas - Real Madrid 2:0 semifinal in 1958. Who remembers Vasas anymore? They`re an excellent team in those days. And despite winning 4:0 in Madrid Real didn`t play with their ```B`` team in Budapest - only Puskas was missing for the obvious reasons - in front of more than 100 thousand spectators. And if it was so easy, why couldn`t Barcelona win at least once in those times? Benfica and Internazionale had their best teams ever, just to name two giants as competitors for Real.

[Aidann]

Let's put it this way:
It was harder in the old days to get into the competition. You had to be current title holders or domestic champions.
It was easier in the old days to reach L16 (0 or 1 preliminary rounds, no group stage).
It was easier in the old days to advance to quarters and to semifinals (no seeding, but plenty of champions from weaker countries to face)
It was as much as difficult as now to win the semifinal and the final. Hungary was a top country by then and Vasas was a top club, no doubt about that. Same for Stade Reims.
So, I'm not saying it was very easy to lift the throphy. I'm just saying that, imho, it was not so hard as it is now.

[Thunder_PT]

So, I'm not saying it was very easy to lift the throphy. I'm just saying that, imho, it was not so hard as it is now.

The results show us the contrary. Today's big 3 (Barça, Real and Bayern) reach the semis year after year. Was it the same then?

1956
Big 3: Honvéd, Real Madrid, Barcelona
The first edition was a bit weird, not all the invited participants were champions. MTK represented Hungary even if Honvéd were the reigning champions. Between Real and Barcelona, right off the bat, one had to be out. Real won it.

1957
Big 3: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Honvéd
Results: Athletic won the Spanish league so Bacelona out. 1st Round: Athletic vs. Honvéd. Athletic through, then knocked out by Man Utd. Real won it.

1958
Big 3: Real Madrid, MTK, Barcelona
MTK and Barcelona didn't qualify (courtesy of Vasas and Sevilla), Real Madrid won it.

1959
Big 3: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Honvéd
Barcelona and Honvéd didn't qualify (courtesy of Atlético Madrid and MTK), Real Madrid won it.

1960
Big 3: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus
Barcelona finally qualify and did achieve a respectable campaign, eliminating the Italian (who was Milan, not Juventus) and English Champions before meeting Real Madrid in the semis. Real Madrid won it.

1961
Big 3: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético
Obviously one of them had to be out right off the bat, it was Atlético. Real Madrid met Barcelona in their very first game, Barça through. So rules and draw ensured right away that only 1 of the 3 could reach the Quarters, let alone the semis. Barcelona lost against Benfica in the final.

1962
Big 3: Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan
No more Spanish reigning champions, so only one qualify now, Barcelona out. Milan out too. Real Madrid lose in the final against Benfica.

1963
Big 3: Real Madrid, AC Milan, Inter
Real Madrid knocked out in the very first round by Anderlecht. Inter out, AC Milan won it.

1964
Big 3: Real Madrid, Inter, Bologna
Real Madrid and Inter reached the final. Bologna didn't qualify.

1965
Big 3: Inter, Real Madrid, AC Milan
Milan didn't qualify, Real Madrid were knocked out in the quarters by Benfica. Inter won it.

1966
Big 3: Real Madrid, Inter, Liverpool
Liverpool didn't qualify, Real Madrid and Inter met in the semis and Real Madrid won it.

Now, the big 3 of each season is debatable (I used elo stats for an unbiased choice), but it passes the test of common sense. Perhaps Benfica should be one of the big 3 in their peak, but overall it seems correct: Spanish and Hungarians dominate first, then Italy slowly rises and by the mid 60s we see an English team.

Let's look at the results then:

Summary:
33 teams
Winner: 9
Runner up: 3
Semifinal: 2
Quarterfinal: 1
Knocked out in the first round: 3
Didn't qualify: 15

So, the winner was one of the big 3 9 seasons out of 11. Benfica was the only "surprise" (they were 4th and 5th, perhaps underrated). But the rest of the big 3, most of the times didn't even qualify. That's not surprising considering the big 3 usually came from just 2 countries, Spain and Hungary first, then Spain and Italy, so half of the time (15 in 33) they never even entered the competition. This can't be understated, even if when they did qualify they tended to do well, not qualifying half of the time alone is enough to prove it was more difficult then. Even finishing 2nd in the league wasn't trivial at the time, leagues were more balanced and there were more changes season-to-season. In the year Real Madrid won the first EC, they finished 4th in the league. Though Barcelona was always considered one of the top 2 (top 3 with Athletic in the early 50s), regularly humbled giants Real Madrid and competed with them to sign the best players (like the Hungarian army Kubala, Kocsis, Czibor), the likes of Sevilla or Atlético Madrid could, on their season, beat Barcelona for EC qualification. Same happened in Hungary or Italy.

Now compare this with what happens today. Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern will reach the quarters almost for sure. Then, sure, they have tough games to go all the way, but they're already close. In the last 4 seasons only one (Barcelona) was knocked out in the Quarters.

Saying it was easier to win it then than now it's like saying it's easy to win the Club World Cup, ignoring that it's very difficult to even get there.

[Ricardo]

I agree that winning UC1 was certainly not easy. 1 off-day or underestimation and you were out. And differences between countries and clubs were much less...

to define the big 3 each year is tough to do, as I think that winning the Cup made them rise that year in ranking, so because they won, they were part of the big 3. But I can't judge if these were the right 3 or not as I wasn't following football till the eighties....

[bugylibicska]

I think it`s very difficult to say objectively when was harder to win, in those 50`s, 60`s or in modern times. The times are different and the competition itself has changed a lot. A few important aspects already mentioned in the preceding posts, like no seedings whatsoever in those times, only the champions participated, the Eastern Europeans were really strong and so on. Just imagine 4 Hungarian teams (Honved, MTK, Vasas, Ferencvaros) participating and 4 Spanish (Real, Barca, Atletico, Valencia) in the same year, suddenly doesn`t look so easy to progress. Or vice-versa, now only Barca could represent Spain and Chelsea only from England, the balance is very different. I think it`s very, very hard to win at any given times, you must be really a top team or outrageously lucky. Barcelona are the dominant team in our times, but couldn`t win it twice in a row. Or MU with Ferguson at the helm won only twice during 27 years! Or broccoli man Wenger, how many times he said Arsenal were the best team and how many times they`ve won it in his 20 years?

[AlanK]

Pepe Mel was fired by Betis. To be replaced by a coach to be named later.

[Arges Pitesti]

Now the big 3 are in semi-final by default. Group stage and round of 16 are boring and predictable. Once, there was more balance between different countries. Also, there were "dinasties" based on nearly 3-4 year cycle (Real*, Benfica, Inter, Milan, Celtic, Ajax, Bayern, Liverpool, Forest and so on), then the glory would have finished with the rising of anoter club's dinasty. Now, clubs like Real, Barca, Bayern can simply buy the best players available on market every year and they are almost sure to reach CL semi-finals till the end of times...

* 50's Real is maybe the only anticipation of modern globalized model: no frontiers, best foreign players in (Kopa, Puskas...), unlimited economic power...

[Michael S Collins]

* 50's Real is maybe the only anticipation of modern globalized model: no frontiers, best foreign players in (Kopa, Puskas...), unlimited economic power...

And even their era came to an end!

[Lyonnais]

in my opinion, it's more difficult to win the Champions League now than it used to be for the "old" Champions Cup.
In the old Champions Cup some years you only had to defeat one big team to win the cup. In the current Champions League, you have at least 2-3 big teams to defeat.
Furthermore, newbies have almost no chance to win the Champions League now whereas in the old Champions Cup it sometimes happened.

[AlanK]

Furthermore, newbies have almost no chance to win the Champions League now whereas in the old Champions Cup it sometimes happened.

Well, true, but at the beginning, everybody was a newbie