Football news - In-depth: What has happened to Real Madrid? How long until Conte replaces Lopetegui?
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ByEurosport
Updated 29/10/2018 at 09:49 GMT
Real Madrid won a third Champions League in May; they now sit sandwiched between Getafe and Celta in ninth place in La Liga. What on earth has happened at Santiago Bernabeu?
Real Madrid's Spanish defender Sergio Ramos (R) and Real Madrid's Croatian midfielder Luka Modric leave the pitch at the end of the Spanish league football match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid CF at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on October 28, 2
Image credit: Getty Images
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Madrid came into El Clasico in desperate need of a win to relieve the pressure on beleaguered boss Julen Lopetegui.
It proved to be a chastening afternoon for the 13th-time European champions, who suffered a chastening defeat at the hands of arch-rivals Barcelona.
Luis Saurez hit a hat-trick in a 5-1 humbling that was their worst Clasico defeat since Pep Guardiola’s 2010 side admonished Los Blancos 5-0.
Put simply, Real Madrid are in disarray.
WHY HAS IT HAPPENED?
Zinedine Zidane resigned his post as Real boss just days after winning a third Champions League title in May. His departure presents itself as a rather convenient catalyst to Madrid’s lurch to mediocrity. However, perhaps Zidane left because he foresaw the turmoil that was ready to engulf the club.
Madrid finished 17 points shy of Barcelona in the league last season – they needed an overhaul. However, it has been suggested Zidane elected to resign after he was told by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez that incomings at the club would be minimal.
Lopetegui lost Cristiano Ronaldo over the summer, with Mariano Diaz, Alvaro Odriozola, Vinicius Junior and Thibaut Courtois joining the club. Whether any of those players have improved a side that finished so far behind Barcelona is open to serious debate.
Success in football runs in cycles, and this side’s cycle seems done.
WHEN IS CONTE SET TO TAKE OVER?
For Lopetegui, the sack is pretty much inevitable now - his tenure at Madrid, including his appointment, has been an unmitigated disaster.
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Juen Lopetegui during the Barcelona and Real Madrid match
Image credit: Getty Images
And now leading Spanish papers - Marca and AS - are reporting that Antonio Conte will be appointed on Monday night as Real Madrid boss.The last time the Perez took that course of action mid-season, it panned out pretty well, with Zidane leading the club to nine titles in his two-and-a-half tenure.
If there is a last-minute change of heart - and you never know with the trigger-happy Perez - there are a couple of other options beyond the former Chelsea boss. Perez is also reportedly an admirer of Santiago Solari at Real Madrid Castilla, and could promote him, like he did with Zidane, while the merits of Arsene Wenger are also under consideration.
WILL CONTE BE A SUCCESS?
The Real Madrid dressing room appears to be a challenging one to manage; one Jose Mourinho ultimately failed to tame, one that rode roughshod over Rafa Benitez and one that appears to have broken Lopetegui.
The most successful recent incumbents – Carlo Ancelotti and Zidane – more cajoled than castigated the squad. So, is Conte suitable?
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Head coach Carlo Ancelotti (R) of Real Madrid CF shakes hands with his assistant coach Zinedine Zidane (L) prior to the start of the La Liga match between Getafe CF and Real Madrid CF at Coliseum Alfonso Perez on February 16, 2014 in Getafe, Spain
Image credit: Getty Images
Asked post-match his views on Conte and the perception that the Italian is a hard taskmaster, Sergio Ramos was typically forthright:
Respect is won, it's not imposed. Not one name or another. We have won everything with managers that you know, and at the end, the management of the dressing room is more important than the technical knowledge of a manager.
Ramos, the club’s go to penalty-taker since Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure, appears to wield considerable power in the dressing room, one of the most politicised dressing rooms in world football.
Such comments hint that it may not necessarily be all Lopetegui's fault - a point made on the front cover of Marca on Monday morning - with the squad and Perez himself also needing to take a share of the responsibility:
WHAT HAS LOPETEGUI SAID? WILL HE GO OF HIS OWN ACCORD?
Well, no.
"It is hard, a defeat is always hard, even more at Barcelona.
We are feeling down, but I am feeling strong. This is a tough blow, but I am strong enough to know everything can be turned around.
“There is a long way to go, and I have a lot of faith in this group of players. We have been punished a lot by injuries. I feel sad at the moment, but with full strength to remain in charge of this group."
What else could he say? He’ll fight on until he is fired
TL;DR
The issue is not the manager but a squad that needs renewing and rejuvenation.
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