It’s been a big few days in the life of Real Madrid, and not happy ones. After being embarrassed 5-0 in El Clasico by Barcelona at Camp Nou on Sunday, Julen Lopetegui paid the price with his job.
As such, their Copa del Rey campaign, which begins rather unusually in North Africa, will be overseen by ‘B’ team boss Santi Solari.
His role can only be to steady what is a rocking ship. Madrid have racked up a string of unwanted statistics this season as they have lost three league games for the first time in more than a decade, while they have also endured the club’s second-worst scoreless run ever.