The annual manager roundabout is off and running and the first domino has fallen as Manchester City’s Roberto Mancini was the first to get the chop. The rumours about management changes have been rife for months, and as we get closer to the ending of the league campaigns across Europe, these rumours may start turning into fact.

Current Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho in press conference

This year, unlike others, what makes it more interesting is the number of top European sides that will be in the market looking for a new manager. From Real Madrid to Paris Saint Germain, from Manchester City, to the lower clubs like Everton and even Spain’s Malaga, they will all be getting in on the act of shopping for a new manager.

In England the most shocking and surprising management change that caught everyone by surprise was Manchester United’s Sir Alex Ferguson’s resignation after 26 years in the job. His announcement and the impending hiring of Everton’s David Moyes sent shock waves throughout the world of football. Yet barely less than a week later, before the dust had settled, United’s rivals, Manchester City’s, were making news of their own. Manager Roberto Mancini was dismissed on the back of a season of underachievement, a poor champions league run and player unrest in the squad, accumulating in their effortless performance in their 1-0 lost to Wigan in the FA cup final. Their rich Saudi owners had seen enough and they weren’t going to accept failure. Chilean Manuel Pellegrini the current Malaga coach, has been the name on everyones lips as the most likely candidate to take the job. Pellegrini has neither excepted or denied reports linking him to the job and Malaga are refusing to let him go until after the season.

At Chelsea, manager Rafael Benitez has pushed Chelsea to a third place finish under extremely difficult circumstances, guaranteeing the club champions league football next season and has capped the campaign with a fine Europa league championship. But for all his hard word, from the outset he was tagged as the interim manager and regardless of his success he will be unemployed at the end of the year. Chelsea old boss Jose Mourinho and current Real Madrid manager is rumored to be taking the post. Things have soured drastically for the Special One at Real and all signs seem to be pointing to Mourinho making a dramatic return to Chelsea.

For Real Madrid, if and when Mourinho leaves, there is already huge speculation that Paris Saint Germain manager Carlo Ancelotti is the favorite for the Madrid post. Under Ancelotti’s guidance, PSG have won their first league championship in 14 years and are reluctant to see him go. If that were to happen the newly crowned French Champions would demand that they receive compensation if he were to go, which at the moment Real are unwilling to pay. It remains to see how it will all end up. The first domino has dropped let’s see what the fall out is.