Julen Lopetegui will lose everything? Dismissed from the coach of Spain just before the World Cup, the technician may now lose the coach of Real Madrid, in a crucial week between the Champions League Tuesday and clasico Sunday in Barcelona.
The names of his potential successors blacken paper and internet. There is Antonio Conte (formerly Chelsea), the current coach of Belgium, Roberto Martinez, or the coach of the Madrid reserve, Santiago Solari.
Without forgetting Leonardo Jardim (who has just given way to Thierry Henry in Monaco) and José Mourinho, posted to Manchester United, but to whom the journalists have obviously asked if he would be interested in a return to Madrid, where he trained in the past (2010-13).
"No, I'm happy here. I would be happy to see my contract continue until its last day. I would like to stay after the end of my contract, " responded " Mou " , criticized in England but has recently extended his commitment with United until 2020.
In the meantime, a question predominates: Will Lopetegui, 52, be ousted twice in just over four months?
Back on what looks like a huge mess. On June 13, two days before the entry into the running of the Spanish team at the World Cup in Russia, he is removed from office. His crime? The announcement of his appointment at the start of the season as Real Madrid coach.
In the past, Roja has often been torn apart by centrifugal forces fueled by rivalry between the two big clubs in the country, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.
"You were wrong place"
Then the Spanish federation did not want to play with fire and decided to part with it. Without this choice is paying for the selection, because Spain could not go beyond the 8th finals.
And the situation in club Lopetegui is now catastrophic: his Madrilenians have not won for five games (four defeats and a draw).
Read also
Champions League. Real Madrid: "I will still be the coach tomorrow," announces Lopetegui
For now, the tight schedule of Real has helped save the head of the former goalkeeper of the club, after another defeat suffered Saturday against Levante in the Championship of Spain (2-1).
Hard to change coach before Plzen Tuesday night in the Champions League and not easy for the possible replacement to start Sunday in the hot atmosphere of Camp Nou.
Saturday after Levante, Lopetegui appeared morose and worried in front of the journalists. On Monday, he had not regained his smile, but his tone and his words were a little more pugnacious. "If you came to see a coach shot down and collapsed, you were wrong place," he said in front of the microphones and cameras.
Training tension
"Do not talk to me about suppositions," the technician again told a journalist who was too insistent on the hypothesis of a dismissal. "I learned in this club to fight, since always. This is the DNA of this club and I was scorched. We will fight to reverse the situation. It is not rosy but we have time to change that, " he still hammered.
Nevertheless, some details betray the tension of the triple team champion of Europe in title. In training on Monday, captain Sergio Ramos attacked a young defender and angrily released a ball in his direction. Before apologizing on Twitter ( "I should not have reacted like that" ) while the image was looping on television ...
Aunque no lo lo parezca, his habitual bastante situaciones, pero no es excusa, mi reacción no debió ser esa.
Nosotros siempre vamos a full, ¿verdad, Regui? ¡¡Al final victoria del equipo juntos @sergio_regui !!
Carpetazo is for the party of mañana. # HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/PIFNFqV6mj
Not easy to digest the departures of coach Zinédine Zidane, who needed to blow, and star Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined Juventus ...