Madrid axe Lopetegui

MADRID (AP):

In just months, Julen Lopetegui has lost two of the most high-profile coaching jobs in the world. Lopetegui was finally fired by Real Madrid yesterday, less than five months after he was sacked by Spain before the FIFA World Cup for not telling federation officials he accepted the Madrid job.

The expected announcement followed a meeting by the club's board of directors yesterday, a day after the team was crushed by Barcelona 5-1 at Camp Nou Stadium.

Santiago Solari, coach of Real Madrid B, will take charge for the Copa del Rey match against third division club Melilla tomorrow.

Spanish media speculated that Solari, a former Madrid player, was in the running for the permanent job along with former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte and Belgium manager Roberto Martinez.

The firing caps a horrible few months for Lopetegui and is likely to deal a significant setback to his career. After doing well with Spain's youth teams, he had a lacklustre stint with Portuguese club Porto, but gained prominence after revamping Spain and turning it into a contender entering the World Cup.

Changing team dynamic

Madrid said in a statement it sacked 52-year-old Lopetegui to "change the team's dynamic while all of its objectives for the season were still reachable".

The board of directors believed there was a huge difference between the quality of the squad and the results it was achieving. The board noted the team has eight players nominated for the Ballon d'Or award, something unprecedented in the club's history. They have lost five of their last seven matches.

"We know that results are important for a coach," Madrid captain Sergio Ramos said after the Barcelona match.

Lopetegui, who led the team practice yesterday morning, was hired by Madrid to replace Zinedine Zidane, who quit after leading the club to the last three UEFA Champions League titles.