Carlo Ancelotti: Real Madrid manager on brink of history – so why is his job on the line?

Carlo Ancelotti is in danger of being fired as Real Madrid are 12 points clear at the top of La Liga, but why is he still there?

To understand the Italian's precarious position, it is necessary to consider the context of his arrival at the club last summer.

Real Madrid had a trophy-less season and the departure of legendary boss Zinedine Zidane along with captain Sergio Ramos and his central defensive partner Raphael Varane caused a lot of turmoil.

Florentino Perez needed a safe pair of hands to guide the team out of the choppy waters.

A sense of stability and continuity was required and nobody fitted the bill better than Ancelotti, whose experience and easy-going manner made him the perfect candidate to restore order.

He has accomplished that goal. Real have taken advantage of an inconsistent season from reigning champion Atleti Madrid, a dreadful start from Barcelona and a lack of firepower at Sevilla to establish a surely impregnable position at the top of La Liga - meaning that Carlo Ancelotti is poised to become the first manager in history to win

It's not clear whether the opportunity to defend the crown next season will be given to Ancelotti, who may be forced to follow the action from home after contracting Covid last week.

Is history about to repeat itself?

The results of the campaign have been better for Real than their performances, with the team often over-reliant on Karim Benzema for attacking inspiration and Thibaut Courtois for goalkeeping heroics.

A couple of weeks ago, Real suffered a humiliation at the hands of Barcelona, who are already looking capable of making a serious push for silverware next season.

A major criticism of Ancelotti throughout the season is that he has shown a very limited ability to rotate his squad, frequently lining up with the same starting XI regardless of how well they are playing.

With Benzema unavailable for last month's Clasico, Real's lack of strategic variety was exposed to an alarming degree as they were thrashed by Barcelona.

In the past, embarrassing performances of that nature have led to the dismissal of the coach: Julen Lopetegui was dismissed after a 6-1 loss at the Barcelona Camp in the summer of 2015; and Santi Solari was dismissed after a 4-1 loss at the Bernabéu in the winter of 2019.

The fact that Perez has already fired the Italian once strengthens the suspicion that he doesn't trust him.

Perez was turned against the coach after a loss to Atlante in the middle of the season.

It looks like history will repeat itself in the coming weeks, with only a perfect finale to the league campaign expected to be enough to convince Perez not to fire Ancelotti.

Who could replace Ancelotti?

Who will replace the Italian this time?

As with Manchester United, Mauricio Pochettino has been linked with a move to the Real Madrid, as well as the likes of Hoffenheim's Julian Nagelsmann and Real legend Raul.

A period of transition will have to be overseen by whoever is at the helm. Long-standing stalwarts Benzema, Luka Modric, Isco and Marcelo will leave at the end of the season when their contracts are up.

Fede Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga can fill more prominent roles in the middle of the field, since they have been largely ignored by Ancelotti.

Kylian Mbappe is the largest in the background.

'Real could look very different next season'

Real have spent a lot of time and money trying to lure Kylian Mbappe away from Paris St-Germain, and it is certain that he will join the club this summer.

His coaching preferences will be taken into account before he arrives.

Perez is desperate to retain his club's place among Europe's elite despite the financial advantages of clubs such as Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.

The figure could be in the dugout.