Julen Lopetegui has been in charge at Real Madrid for less than three months, but he is already teetering on the brink of dismissal.
The former Spain manager famously joined Los Blancos in rather acrimonious circumstances, with the club announcing his appointment just days before the national team kicked off their World Cup campaign in Russia. As a result, La Furia Roja relieved him of his managerial post.
Since then, Lopetegui has failed to replicate the form of his predecessor, Zinedine Zidane, at Real and his tenure has been an unmitigated disaster, with Los Blancos winless in five and currently positioned seventh in La Liga. It is their worst start to a La Liga campaign in 15 years.
The next on-field episode of the eternal El Clasico rivalry is fast approaching, with Real and Barcelona set to lock horns at the Camp Nou on Sunday, but according to reports from Spanish news outlet MARCA, Lopetegui might not make it to his first derby.
So, should Lopetegui be replaced in the coming days, who would be the ideal candidate to replace him in the hallowed halls of the Bernabeu?
The Dream options
Mauricio Pochettino
The Argentine tactician has been a revelation since taking the reins at White Hart Lane, transforming Tottenham Hotspur into a bastion of progress and consistency under his tutelage, which is exactly what Florentino Perez will be wanting for his club after the departures of two key icons over the summer: Cristiano Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane.
Mauricio Pochettino took over in north London with the club still in turmoil after the sale of Gareth Bale the season before, but he quickly fashioned a team capable of competing in the upper reaches of the Premier League, which coincided with the rapid developments of both Harry Kane and Dele Alli.
He has a penchant for getting the best of players and accentuating their best assets; Christian Eriksen has enjoyed his most prolific goalscoring season under him and England have profited from the evolution of Kieran Trippier. Even struggling players have stepped up under Pochettino; just look at Erik Lamela’s record of five goals in eight appearances this season.
At a time of chaos, Pochettino would be the ideal man to come in and steady the ship at Real, creating a more consistent and stable side, while he could also be the man proficient in turning Karim Benzema back into a goalscoring machine, a la Kane, and developing exciting talents such as Marco Asensio, a la Dele.
Pochettino is yet to win a major trophy for Spurs. But were he given the right tools in the Spanish capital, he could thrive in both domestic competitions and in Europe; it would, however, take a monumental offer to prise Pochettino away from north London.
Realistic options
Santiago Solari
The Real Madrid legend enjoyed a trophy-laden career during his time with the club, winning two La Liga titles and a Champions League trophy between 2000 and 2005. Santiago Solari is now back at the Bernabeu as coach of Castilla – the club’s much-revered reserve team – and has been since 2016.
His route to a first-team managerial position would have echoes of Zidane, who took control as Real Madrid manager from Rafael Benitez, having himself worked with the B-team for two years.
Solari is reportedly front-runner for the position should Lopetegui part ways with the club, and he would be a sensible option in trying to maintain order while the club consider their options. However, it is worth noting he is currently working wonders with the Castilla team, and the hierarchy might hesitate to remove him that position.
Guti
Guti’s name is synonymous with the great Real Madrid teams of the late 1990s and early 2000s; he is a highly respected man in the Spanish capital and has learned from some of the best in the business: Fabio Capello, Jupp Heynckes, Guus Hiddink and Vicente del Bosque to name but a few.
He also returned to the club after his playing career came to an end, as manager of the youth sides, and held that position for five years between 2013 and 2018, where he recently parted to aid Senol Gunes as assistant manager at Besiktas.
Guti was brilliant during his time in charge of the Real Madrid youth, and now that he has had a taste of first-team coaching experience in the Turkish Super Lig, he may be ready to cut his teeth as the main man in charge at Los Blancos.
Wildcard options
Roberto Martinez
The former defensive midfielder is an ambivalent figure on English soil; having originally thrived in charge of Swansea City, before performing miracles at Wigan Athletic as he clinched the FA Cup title at the expense of Manchester City, he came in for scathing criticism at Everton.
The Evertonians were particularly critical of some of his woeful signings and questionable tactical decisions from a defensive perspective, but the 45-year-old has now enhanced his reputation after guiding Belgium to a third-place finish at the World Cup during the summer.
Granted, Martinez had a plethora of attacking talent at his disposal, but it takes a tactically astute manager to blend those talents together and have them playing in a balanced and fluid manner – Martinez done just that, and he could certainly produce a similar outcome at Real, but having never managed a Champions League club before, this would be a massive gamble for Perez.
Antonio Conte
Conte’s demise in west London was extraordinary when you consider the brilliance of his side the season before, but this is a man who has worked with massive egos and big names during his career, including the likes of Paul Pogba, Diego Costa and Mario Balotelli, so he will not falter under the seismic pressure of the job.
His three-at-the-back system was revolutionary in the English top-flight and became the blueprint for success for a number of high-profile managers in the league, including the likes of Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho, who both began to adopt the philosophy.
The Italian would have the perfect players to deploy his high-octane wing-back system, with Marcelo and Dani Carvajal offering pace and precision in abundance, Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane and Nacho would also be the ideal ball-playing centre-backs, while the midfield trident of Casemiro, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos would form the nucleus of the team.
Further up the pitch Benzema would operate in a Costa-esque role while Bale, Isco or Asensio would dovetail around him – this could be a match-made-in-heaven should Perez swoop for the free agent.
Jose Mourinho
With discernible question marks still surrounding Mourinho and his capacity to mount a serious title challenge in the Premier League, he has emerged as a serious candidate to return to his former club.
Mourinho reportedly has a very close relationship with Perez, and he even tried to lure him back to the Bernabeu when Benitez was sacked in 2016, before Zidane ultimately took control, but this could now be the chance for the Portuguese to return to his former love.
With the departure of Ronaldo, Real need a high-profile figure to inject fresh impetus and alleviate the current frustration presiding over the Bernabeu; Mourinho is that high-profile figure, and his arrival would make significant noise across the continent.
Mourinho might feel he has unfinished business in North West England, and he will want to stick around long enough to thwart Pep Guardiola’s stranglehold over the Premier League, but he may also be longing for a fresh start, and opportunities like these do not come around often.
Squawka suggests
Leonardo Jardim
Should Real Madrid want a long-term manager capable of nurturing young talent, espousing attractive football and unearthing hidden gems, then look no further than recently dismissed Monaco manager Jardim.
The Venezuelan-born coach was the man responsible for the rapid emergence of Kylian Mbappe, Bernardo Silva and Benjamin Mendy to name just a few; he also made Tiemoue Bakayoko look like a world-beater in both Ligue 1 and the Champions League.
Having consistently had his Monaco side ripped apart on an annual basis like the Stade Louis II was some sort of yearly feeding ground for the continent’s high-spending vultures, Jardim was still able to keep his side competitive in the upper echelons of domestic and European football.
His dismissal was coming this season, but perhaps unjust given the circumstances of Les Monegasques’ transfer policy. At Real, he would have a club capable of holding onto their best assets, and in Jardim, Real would have an accomplished and efficient coach capable of rediscovering their former spark.
The post Real Madrid to sack Julen Lopetegui? The dream & wildcard candidates to replace him appeared first on Squawka News.
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