Conventional wisdom had it that Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui needed to win El Clasico today in order to save his job. For Lopetegui and Madrid, the result was about as disastrous as possible. Barcelona crushed the reigning three time European champions 5-1, and that damage was done even without Lionel Messi.
Now, according to various outlets in two different countries Lopetegui is to get the sack, and then be replaced by former Chelsea and Italy manager Antonio Conte. Nothing has been confirmed by the club as of yet, but Marca report that the embattled and struggling manager already said goodbye to his team “just in case.”
Lopetegui is on his way out of @realmadriden ?
And Antonio Conte is on his way in!
The Italian could arrive in the Spanish capital on Monday
?https://t.co/OF6YKejDuK pic.twitter.com/Npcos8xbDB
— MARCA in English ?? (@MARCAinENGLISH) October 28, 2018
Onda Cero reports that Conte could be presented as the new boss as early as today. The Guardian claims that the La Liga juggernaut are “confident that Conte will be in a position to accept the job and hope to announce the change of manager as soon as Monday.”
This would be the second time Lopetegui gets sacked in about four and a half months. After news of his deal with Real Madrid came to light, Spain made the very bizarre and extremely questionable decision to fire him on the eve of the World Cup.
After the disastrous loss at Barcelona on Sunday, he told the media: “I’m sad, it’s a tough blow, but I have strength to continue and the belief that things will improve.”
What he said before the game about his own future was certainly more colorful:
“I expect to keep breathing whatever happens. I’m not going to die. I am 100 percent focused on helping my team for tomorrow, nothing more. So I will not dedicate even 0.1 percent of my energy to that question.”
Madrid are currently in ninth place the La Liga table, seven behind arch-rivals Barcelona.
Conte, who was let go by Chelsea in July, still has an ongoing legal dispute to settle with the club. It could be a stumbling block in negotiations with his new employer. Conte won three straight Serie A titles with Juventus before leading his homeland’s national team to the Euro quarterfinals.
The Italian then won the Premier League during in his first season in charge at Stamford Bridge. Last year he guided the Blues to a fifth place finish and an FA Cup victory.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Lineups.com and Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.