Real Madrid suffered their third loss of the La Liga season on Saturday against Levante. Los Blancos were down 2-0 within 13 minutes before mounting a second-half comeback that fell just short. Now, manager Julen Lopetegui looks set to be sacked in the next 24 hours.
Julen Lopetegui to be sacked
BeIN Sport has reported Lopetegui will be fired in the next 24 hours following the team’s loss to Levante. Real Madrid are just three points off of first place but top of the table Sevilla and Barcelona are yet to play this weekend.
Lopetegui was famously sacked as Spain national team boss in June just days before the World Cup’s kick off. The Spanish Football Federation was unhappy with Lopetegui following word of his Real Madrid contract was leaked.
It hasn’t been a great year for the manager and it looks set to get worse.
Former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is believed to have agreed to coach Real Madrid and replace Lopetegui. Conte had been rumoured as a possible replacement for Jose Mourinho at Manchester United, but he may now take over for Lopetegui at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid have not coped well without Cristiano Ronaldo this season. The club has been linked with selling Marco Asensio in January to free up money for a big money move for Neymar or Kylian Mbappe in the summer as they look for a replacement for the forward.
While Lopetegui has failed to get the best out of his players, Real Madrid have not been able to replace Ronaldo’s goals. Prior to Marcelo’s goal for Real Madrid on Saturday, they had gone over seven hours without scoring a goal.
Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale have failed to fire in goals. Meanwhile, key players including Luka Modric have looked tired following their summer exploits at the World Cup.
Is Real Madrid set for decline post-Ronaldo?