While most sackings tend to come at smaller sides struggling to keep their place in the top divisions, the past few days' machinations have involved some of the biggest names in the game.
First, English Premier League champion Chelsea axed Jose Mourinho on Thursday, and replaced him with Guus Hiddink as interim manager on Saturday. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCni9MCOdv2KUze_TgmF_IVg
On Sunday, German titleholder Bayern Munich announced that its former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola will stand down at the end of this season and be replaced by Carlo Ancelotti, who has won a legion of trophies at AC Milan, Real Madrid, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.
Real Madrid booed as team hits 10 goals
Guardiola, already the highest-paid coach in football, was reportedly offered a new deal by Bayern worth €20 million ($21.7 million) per year.
"Carlo is a calm, balanced expert, who knows how to deal with stars and favors a multifaceted style of play -- we were looking for this, and we have found it," Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said in a statement.
Ancelotti, 56, has been out of work since May 2015, having being rewarded with the sack after ending Real Madrid's long wait for a 10th European crown the previous season.
He has agreed a three-year contract to take over from Guardiola, who won the German Bundesliga title in his first two seasons at Bayern and has taken the Bavarians to an eight-point lead heading into the winter break following Saturday's 1-0 win at Hannover.
"We are grateful to Pep Guardiola for everything he has given our club since 2013. I am convinced that Pep and our team will now work even more intensively towards achieving our major sporting goals -- especially as it is now confirmed that Pep is to leave FC Bayern," Rummenigge added.
Repeating the trick? – Alessandro Florenzi of AS Roma made headlines in the group stage when he scored against Barcelona in spectacular fashion. Can he do it again against Real Madrid?
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15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Ron target – Or will Real Madrid's prolific Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo add to his rich haul of Champions League goals?
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15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Whirring Dynamo – Oleh Husev of Dinamo Kiev celebrates after scoring in the group stage match against Porto. Now the Ukrainians face big-spending Manchester City.
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15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Sterling work – City's options in attack include Raheem Sterling, who joined from Liverpool in July.
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15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Wolf at the door – Naldo, of Wolfsburg, celebrates with fans after the 3-2 victory over Manchester United that eliminated the English club from the Champions League.
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15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Famous Belgians – Belgian club Gent, the surprise package of the tournament so far, now has the challenge of getting past Wolfsburg.
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15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Portuguese pride – Benfica, seen here celebrating a goal against Galatasaray in the group stage, takes on Zenit St Petersburg next.
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15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Dutch courage – Netherlands side PSV Eindhoven takes on Atletico Madrid as it looks to continue a fine run of form.
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15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Silver lining – This is the trophy the last 16 in the Champions League are all playing for -- but who will hoist it after the final in Milan next year?
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15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Messi business – Barcelona and talisman Lionel Messi take on Arsenal after the Gunners produced a great escape from the group stage.
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15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Triple treat – Nobody did more for Arsenal to set up that Barcelona date than Olivier Giroud, whose hat-trick saw off Olympiakos in the crucial final group game. Arsenal last failed to reach the knockout stages of the competition in 1999.
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15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Pog in the machine – France international Paul Pogba is at the heart of a fast-improving Juventus team who will be hoping to put paid to Bayern Munich's chances.
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15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Lethal Lewa – But runaway Bundesliga leaders Bayern have prolific striker Robert Lewandowski in their lineup -- a danger to any defense. Bayern is coached by Pep Guardiola, who led Barcelona to two Champions League triumphs in 2009 and 2011.
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15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Zlat's the man – Nobody is more important to Paris Saint-Germain than Zlatan Ibrahimovic, whose side meets Chelsea for the second season running.
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15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Happy Blues? – Chelsea has so far found the Champions League a happier experience than the Premier League, and will be looking for revenge against PSG after last season's defeat at the same stage of the competition. Jose Mourinho's side is struggling in the EPL, currently languishing in the bottom half of the table.
Hide Caption
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15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Repeating the trick? – Alessandro Florenzi of AS Roma made headlines in the group stage when he scored against Barcelona in spectacular fashion. Can he do it again against Real Madrid?
Hide Caption
8 of 15
15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Ron target – Or will Real Madrid's prolific Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo add to his rich haul of Champions League goals?
Hide Caption
9 of 15
15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Whirring Dynamo – Oleh Husev of Dinamo Kiev celebrates after scoring in the group stage match against Porto. Now the Ukrainians face big-spending Manchester City.
Hide Caption
10 of 15
15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Sterling work – City's options in attack include Raheem Sterling, who joined from Liverpool in July.
Hide Caption
11 of 15
15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Wolf at the door – Naldo, of Wolfsburg, celebrates with fans after the 3-2 victory over Manchester United that eliminated the English club from the Champions League.
Hide Caption
12 of 15
15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Famous Belgians – Belgian club Gent, the surprise package of the tournament so far, now has the challenge of getting past Wolfsburg.
Hide Caption
13 of 15
15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Portuguese pride – Benfica, seen here celebrating a goal against Galatasaray in the group stage, takes on Zenit St Petersburg next.
Hide Caption
14 of 15
15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Dutch courage – Netherlands side PSV Eindhoven takes on Atletico Madrid as it looks to continue a fine run of form.
Hide Caption
15 of 15
15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Silver lining – This is the trophy the last 16 in the Champions League are all playing for -- but who will hoist it after the final in Milan next year?
Hide Caption
1 of 15
15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Messi business – Barcelona and talisman Lionel Messi take on Arsenal after the Gunners produced a great escape from the group stage.
Hide Caption
2 of 15
15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Triple treat – Nobody did more for Arsenal to set up that Barcelona date than Olivier Giroud, whose hat-trick saw off Olympiakos in the crucial final group game. Arsenal last failed to reach the knockout stages of the competition in 1999.
Hide Caption
3 of 15
15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Pog in the machine – France international Paul Pogba is at the heart of a fast-improving Juventus team who will be hoping to put paid to Bayern Munich's chances.
Hide Caption
4 of 15
15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Lethal Lewa – But runaway Bundesliga leaders Bayern have prolific striker Robert Lewandowski in their lineup -- a danger to any defense. Bayern is coached by Pep Guardiola, who led Barcelona to two Champions League triumphs in 2009 and 2011.
Hide Caption
5 of 15
15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Zlat's the man – Nobody is more important to Paris Saint-Germain than Zlatan Ibrahimovic, whose side meets Chelsea for the second season running.
Hide Caption
6 of 15
15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Happy Blues? – Chelsea has so far found the Champions League a happier experience than the Premier League, and will be looking for revenge against PSG after last season's defeat at the same stage of the competition. Jose Mourinho's side is struggling in the EPL, currently languishing in the bottom half of the table.
Hide Caption
7 of 15
15 photos: Champions League last 16: Arsenal meet Barcelona
Repeating the trick? – Alessandro Florenzi of AS Roma made headlines in the group stage when he scored against Barcelona in spectacular fashion. Can he do it again against Real Madrid?
Hide Caption
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The most obvious item on the Spaniard's agenda will be Champions League glory. He has suffered crushing semifinal defeats in the past two seasons against the teams that went on to lift the trophy, Real and Barcelona.
Bayern won Europe's top competition the season before he arrived, under Jupp Heynckes, so his tenure will be judged under those formidable expectations.
Bayern next faces last season's runner-up Juventus in the last 16, with the first leg on February 23.
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Guardiola, who in December 2009 guided Barcelona to its sixth trophy of that calendar year with success at the Club World Cup, is widely tipped to join one of England's top clubs.
The 44-year-old was courted by Manchester City before he took the Bayern job, while Chelsea -- whose billionaire owner Roman Abramovich has long been an admirer -- will be looking to make a full-time appointment when Hiddink's second stint as interim manager finishes at the end of this season.
Manchester United could also be in the market, with Louis van Gaal under increasing pressure to keep his job.
The veteran Dutchman is contracted until the end of 2016-17, but he has won few fans with United's staid style of play.
Saturday's 2-1 defeat at home to lowly Norwich meant the 20-time English champion dropped out of the top four in the EPL table, having exited the Champions League this month at the group stage.
Meanwhile, Barcelona won the Club World Cup for the third time Sunday, beating Argentina's River Plate 3-0 in the final in Yokohama, Japan.
Lionel Messi and Neymar returned after missing the semifinal, and combined with fellow South American striking star Luis Suarez to add to the Spanish club's 2009 and 2011 successes.
Suarez followed up his hat-trick against China's Guangzhou Evergrande with two more goals, while Neymar had two assists including Messi's opener.
