Dani Carvajal: Julen Lopetegui is the best coach I’ve ever had

Real Madrid full-back Dani Carvajal has hailed recently-sacked Los Blancos coach Julen Lopetegui as the best he has ever worked with.

Lopetegui, 52, was ousted from the club following a torrid start to the season including defeats against Levante, Alaves and Sevilla, but the axe was finally wielded after a 5-1 capitulation at the hands of eternal rivals Barcelona.

Despite this, Carvajal – who worked alongside Lopetegui at both Real and Spain – has lauded the Spaniard as the best in the game, believing his demise was simply down to bad fortune.

“For me, he’s been the best coach I’ve ever had, unfortunately he lacked that hint of fortune to continue with us,” he told reporters (via Marca).

“His way of looking at football, his way of managing the group, of being with the players, It’s something I share, I said it before Real Madrid arrived, I keep saying it now that it’s gone and I’ll do it while I do not have another technician who does it better than him.”

Since the departure of Lopetegui, Real have somewhat steadied the ship with the installation of former player and Castilla coach Santiago Solari, who has so far overseen victories against UD Melilla in the Copa del Rey and Valladolid over the weekend.

Next up for the Argentine coach is a Champions League clash against Viktoria Plzen at the Doosan Arena on Wednesday night.

Lopetegui’s tenure

After accepting the Real Madrid vacancy in the summer, Lopetegui was famously relieved of his managerial duties as Spain coach just three days before their opening World Cup group match.

The start of his tenure was certainly marred by controversy but it did not get much easier from there for the Spaniard as his side lost 4-2 to cross-city rivals Atletico Madrid in the Uefa Super Cup.

READ MORE: Real Madrid 2-0 Real Valladolid: Winners and losers from Solari’s first La Liga game in charge

Things started to look more positive as his side then went on a six-match unbeaten run, including a 3-0 win over Roma in the Champions League and four further victories in La Liga.

However, Los Blancos then took a turn for the worse following a 3-0 defeat to Sevilla, as the club fired three consecutive blanks, including against 10-man CSKA Moscow, while defeat in El Clasico brought an end to his short stint at the Bernabeu.

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