Real Madrid have set current manager Julen Lopetegui up to fail this season, according to the Spaniard’s father.
Lopetegui took charge of Real Madrid in the summer, replacing Zinedine Zidane who stepped down from his role after leading the club to three consecutive Champions League trophies.
His reign got off to a tumultuous start, losing his job as Spain manager just days before the start of the World Cup and losing in his first competitive match to rivals Atletico Madrid in the Uefa Super Cup.
Things went slightly better following the Super Cup, with Real winning five of their opening six games across all competitions with just one draw.
But since Saturday, September 22, Real have lost five of their eight games across all competitions including a 1-0 Champions League defeat to CSKA Moscow – part of a four-game run without a goal for Los Blancos.
As a result, Lopetegui’s job as Real Madrid manager started to come into doubt, with rumours reaching their peak following Sunday’s 5-1 humbling at the hands of Barcelona in El Clasico.
Some reports have linked former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte to replace Lopetegui in charge of Real as early as Monday, but the Spaniard’s father, Jose Antonio, believes his son is being treated unfairly.
“Cristiano Ronaldo was good,” he told Spanish newspaper El Mundo (via the Independent).
“Was he cocky? We all have defects, but it turns out he scored 50 goals a season. He is missing. You are missing a prominent goalscorer. They haven’t brought one, not a single one.
“There was talk of Neymar and others, but no one came. They have stolen 50 goals from my son. He has to settle with what he has and don’t get me wrong, he is delighted with the players he has.
“He usually says: ‘I have great people, they give everything they’ve got.’ He doesn’t blame the players. But when there is no material, there isn’t. There was but he left.”
The man to replace Lopetegui? Antonio Conte’s managerial career so far
A former international midfielder, Conte turned to management in 2006 with Italian third tier side Arezzo – a team with whom he had two spells before taking charge of Bari in late 2007.
Conte spent two years with Bari, winning the Serie B title in 2009, though he would soon leave the club amid reports linking him with Juventus.
Nothing came of the reports and Conte then took charge of Atalanta for a brief, unsuccessful, spell before spending a year with Siena.
But then things turned in Conte’s favour, finally getting the Juventus job in 2011, leading the Old Lady to three consecutive Serie A titles, earning him the job of Italian national team manager.
Two years with the Azzurri followed before Conte would take charge of Chelsea in 2016, winning the Premier League in his debut campaign. But a poor second season, engulfed with player unhappiness and negative tactics, saw Conte’s time at the Blues run out despite an FA Cup final victory in May 2018.
The post Julen Lopetegui’s father hits out at Real Madrid amid Antonio Conte links appeared first on Squawka News.
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