Welcome to The Daily Merengue — a place where you can feel free to discuss all things football. Do not be alarmed by the overt RMCF bias. It’s in the name!
Shoutout to the Mods who do a fantastic job, Valyrian Steel, Ezek XI, KungFuZizou, NeRObutBlanco, Felipejack, and Juninho.
Word From Author:
Sammie99: (turns to Quantum and malomalomalo) You guys speak of Juni as if he’s an urban legend…and still…even this responsibility doesn’t fully answer why he’s back or why he left?
felipejack: Those who inherited the curse of
the MM Mod family…The one who couldn’t fully leave from that curse — returned. So they would all bear witness to the bare flesh of the one who is free. To the one who left it all behind…and his overwhelming intensity.
Words from the Author:
Some days I feel like Gojo…most days I feel like Toji. Through heaven and earth, I alone am the dishonored one.
Dear MM,
Part 1. Today’s DT should be awfully light and probably more fun (well fun for me that is). However, I’m just here to warn that this is really only part one. This is truly just the surface level. Sooner rather than later, we all may need to read between the lies…sorry lines. As it’s becoming painfully obvious of what may actually be occurring this season…
Anyway, before I begin the primary subject — I just briefly want to say a shoutout to Laporta for potentially being the most blatantly and almost incompetently crooked sports president of all-time. It’s almost laughable at this point and it’ll be interesting to see him continue his leadership at Barca. Congrats Vase.
Nevertheless….I present you:
Coaching Carousel. Ok — let’s just quickly go through the managers who are connected to the Real Madrid job as of Mar 10, 2026. Disclaimer: This DT will not feature Arbeloa or whether he should continue as Real Madrid manager. I made my thoughts about that situation when we were winning and still haven’t changed my opinion that I would sack him regardless of the season’s results. If you want to argue more on that topic, it’s ok but I’m not going to really waste much time there. You can just reread my DT (link below)
Candidate #1 — Jurgen Klopp. I’m actually going to be pretty light on my analysis of Jurgen Klopp and his fit for Real Madrid because I think many of us have already exacerbated this topic. There is (from my perspective) credible news attaching Jurgen Klopp to Real Madrid. It does feel as if he is itching to coach yet again and that his time at Red Bull will come to an end this summer. IMO, Jurgen Klopp is by far the best manager we could hope for during this summer transition. He is generally liked by the media, fans, and players while possessing tactical nuance and expertise. He also has more than enough accolades to not really be questioned by any current Real Madrid player not named Dani Carvajal. Now, Klopp also comes with a fair share of concerns. 1) His tactics can at time be seen as too inflexible and I do have steady concerns on whether our current crop of players can actually handle his chaotic press for more than 1-2 seasons; 2) Klopp could potentially fight the board for additional power. He is not a Carlo Ancelotti; 3) Klopp is very process oriented, I’m not sure if he’s ever won a trophy in his first season; and 4) with that in mind he will likely demand significant signings and departures both which I’m not sure if Real Madrid can credibly provide.
Now to temper some of those fears. IMO, there isn’t a manager that is going to win major trophies with this group of players so we are going to need transfers regardless. Therefore, Klopp coming in with his demands will likely be a similar ask by most managers. Additionally, if this season heads towards the end that it looks like it’s heading towards, the board may be stunned / desperate enough to allow a manager like Klopp to better take the reins.
Again — imo this is the best choice. Of course, there is a whole other question of why Klopp would ever come to this circus but let’s just pray that money and accolades talk. Also maybe Klopp could prefer an easier path than his usual underdog grind…? And tbh…if he does want to manage…where else is he credibly going?
Candidate #2 — Massimiliano Allegri. I’m also going to be brief here since he’s a manager who was previously linked to us and just jump straight into my opinions. I absolutely do not want Allegri as the Real Madrid manager as I find his style a bit outdated — however, I can see the fit. If the board remains unchanged (big question) and our finances are in a position where heavy investment isn’t possible, Allegri could be a decent stopgap manager until a future date. At the very least, he would be able to shore up our defense while providing enough tactical nuance for our team going forward. During his Juve days (10 years ago), Allegri was praised by the likes of Pirlo for providing a sense of calm while also versatility in his approach. This may be beneficial for this current crop of players who seem to need a more calming presence as well as a manager who caters to them on a more human level. Surprisingly to likely most who don’t follow Serie A, Allegri is actually known for decent player-management and is not as rigid as a manager like Conte. So it does make a semblance of sense of why he’s constantly linked to Florentino Perez.
Anyway, this wouldn’t be my choice of manager but if nothing changes I will accept him.
Candidate #3 — Mauricio Pochettino. Yesterday, Pochettino (who has actually been linked to the Madrid job since December if you recall one of my many DT transfer comments) again was presented in the limelight for this job by Rodra at ESPN. (Note: Rodra is actually relatively pretty reliable for Real Madrid news.) Similarly to Allegri, I don’t really want Pochettino unless the team remains unchanged. TBH, I would really stay away from any manager participating in the World Cup as it would give said manager little to no time to train our squad prior to the preseason starting and IMO in a perfect world someone like Klopp would actually get hired like next month….Anyway, I think I’d want Poch slightly more than Allegri solely because at least I can hope for more entertaining football (i.e., attacking) but Poch would provide more or less the same as Allegri. You would have a manager who is tactical nuanced but not to a rigid point. A manager who for the most part gets along with players. A manager who brought out peak Kylian Mbappe and a manager who should be able to deliver at least in the CL to a point.
My worries with Poch are 1) generally his rotations at times are a bit wonky as well as his in-game changes (or lack of); 2) his attitude towards the board would likely be very much similar to Arbeloa and imo we could use a bit of a shake-up on all levels; and 3) Poch may lack the accolades to galvanize respect from the media, players, and fans. Most of MM already dislikes Poch so only god knows what type of rumors will fly if Poch happens to lose 2 games in a row or drop points away at San Mames. I just don’t see him surviving unless he quits the USMNT like tomorrow and has a few months to really work with not only the team but the entire Real Madrid institution.
Candidates #4-5 — Unai Emery & Cesc Fabregas. I’m grouping these quickly together. Both of these candidates are Diet Xabi Alonso, so I don’t really see the point of hiring them unless quite frankly Vini, Fede and Jude are sold (which is a possibility but extremely unlikely). Both candidates lack less accolades than Xabi as a manager or player. Cesc is former Barca / La Masia so a) I don’t see him at all taking this job and b) if he did, he’d have the shortest leash of all time. Unai Emery is more popular meme than acclaimed coach. And don’t get me wrong I actually think Unai is a great coach and if the players bought in to whatever he’s selling, we’d see a highly competitive team. I just don’t see a world where the players or the institution will actually buy in to either.
Funny enough, I’d rather have either of these managers than Poch / Allegri but I’m not sure if that’s because I think they’d be more successful with proper changes or at least I’m more excited by what they offer. Poch and Allegri are at this point pretty known commodities. Unai at Madrid or a young rising manager like Cesc may bring something to the table that none of us would expect. But anyway, I give it about a 2% chance that Cesc accepts this job especially after seeing Xabi last 6 months. And Unai would need God on the board level to convince someone like Flo.
Part Two….?
First – let me just add this quick disclaimer to everything above. We’ve seen enough from 24/25 season and this 25/26 season to pretty adamantly say that the coaches listed above will not succeed until there is a quite significant change in the manner we conduct transfers, empower players, and support player health via our medical staff, training habits and nutrition. We’ve witnessed 3 pretty different managers ranging in experience / accolades / freedom v rigidity and none of them have succeeded with this team. (Note: Please don’t hit the comments with some Carlo spew about how he has 2 CLs. This is not the same team as 23/24. Major departures, declines, and additions). So more than anything the change has to come from the top.
As the days continue as I’ve previously said, you’re going to hear more and more about Real Madrid’s version of Succession. I may dive into this more tomorrow but when reading rumors on a player or a manager just ask yourself what camp is likely leaking this and why. Also take time to consider when a manager is linked to the board versus Flo. It shouldn’t be lost on anyone that the Pochettino rumor is linked to Flo. It shouldn’t be lost how quickly Unai Emery was pronounced as someone who JAS liked and so on. It also shouldn’t be entirely lost on how haphazard these rumors keep arising. One day we’re signing Rodri who is 30 and another we’re back on our youth policy. There’s confusion. There isn’t a unified message. Start asking why.
Cheers,
J
A Lil’ Anecdote Pt. II
They wanna know, is Juni in the peak of his prime or he in decline? They seekin’ to find creases in my recent design. Gotta just read between the lines, you can see through they Prestianni lies. Standing naivete inside ’em, gets threatened, once I’m speakin’ my mind. Been lookin’ for peace of mind, but they want pieces of mine, but eff ‘em. It’s war time, it ain’t no peace in my mind. Was scattered in a million pieces, who gon’ put together pieces of mine? Top 5 DTs, all them pieces is mine. Reach for the sky, yeah
malomalomalo: talk to them, king
But while you reachin’ for your piece, I’m writin’ mines, that’s the reason you died. It’s funny ’cause MMers wanna see me dead, but they need me alive. For that thing I provide that keep ’em inspired. They say, “Juni, you motivated me to decide. To get on these beats and just rhyme.” I think of the times we was doin’ breaking community guidelines just so we can opine. Now I’m kee-keeing in France spendin’ my leisure time drinkin’ this wine. Some wanted the lion’s share, the biggest piece of the ‘Told U So’ pie. Probably the reason why lately you can see the divide. Let’s go back to 2016, when I signed. To SB Nation, even Kiyan told you Juni was that guy. I’m the god, but when it’s demon time, the heathens’ll slide. DT a heater with no big-name features on mines.
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