Real Madrid must make bold hire in replacing Carlo Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti's firing as Real Madrid coach on Monday did not come as a surprise. Despite having led the club to its 10th European title just a year ago (366 days to be exact), the Italian manager failed to deliver the one thing that's expected at the Santiago Bernabeu – trophies. No excuses were allowed. And no, the FIFA Club World Cup title doesn't count.

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Club president Florentino Perez's announcement that Ancelotti had been let go, as expected, threw gasoline on the already growing speculation of potential replacements ignited by Real Madrid's late-season collapse. But we're not here to explain why Rafa Benitez or Michel or Zinedine Zidane or Jogi Loew should be considered. There's only one manager who makes any sense as Ancelotti's replacement, and that man is Jurgen Klopp.

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Klopp would bring a flair for attacking football but also demand a commitment to defense. Could the 47-year-old German handle the big egos that come with a big-budgeted club like Real? Those are valid questions. But we do know he was able to compete with Bayern Munich for most of his highly successful tenure at Borussia Dortmund and even conquer the Bundesliga in 2012 with a league-best 80 goals and co-league-high plus-55 goal differential.

Of course, there's the issue of a language barrier, which shouldn't be dismissed, and there's no Champions League title on the resume. Which makes Benitez, the Spaniard who guided Liverpool to European glory 10 years ago in Istanbul, the most convenient and safest hire (well, it's safe if you dismiss his horrendous transfer spending at Anfield including 20 million pounds for Alberto Aquilani).

But Real Madrid is in no position to play it safe. The current dominance of hated rival Barcelona behind the devastating trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar calls for bold moves, and the most daring hire Real can make is to bring Klopp to the Bernabeu and hopefully have him recruit Dortmund stars Marco Reus and Mats Hummels to Madrid.

What about the hard-to-please Real Madrid supporters? Well, apparently they're already on board with Klopp. According to Marca's fan poll, 44 percent of over 50,000 votes were cast in favor of the German.

Before the Ancelotti news, Real Madrid was headed for an offseason of change. That's what happens when you go from a 22-game winning streak to out of the running for the Copa del Rey, La Liga and Champions League titles. Gareth Bale, everyone's favorite whipping boy, could be headed back to the Premier League. And the growing uncertainty around Cristiano Ronaldo, who publicly threw his support behind Ancelotti, just won't go away.

Whatever new faces the summer brings, the one addition the club can't get wrong is the man whose job is to put Real Madrid back on top of Spanish and European football. Los Blancos' best chances ride with Jurgen Klopp.