Julen Lopetegui Reflects on Real Madrid Tenure and Spain World Cup Dismissal

Julen Lopetegui has opened up about his dismissals from the Spain national team and Real Madrid in 2018. His managerial career took a dramatic turn that year, beginning with his departure from Spain just before the World Cup, followed by a four-month stint as Real Madrid manager.

Lopetegui believes that circumstances beyond football played a significant role in his departure from the Spanish national team. He had overseen an unbeaten qualification campaign and felt the team was in excellent form heading into the 2018 World Cup. Spain's decision to dismiss him came after it was revealed he had agreed to manage Real Madrid.

Following his move to Real Madrid, Lopetegui faced a challenging environment. Cristiano Ronaldo had departed for Juventus, and several key players returned late after deep runs in the World Cup. Despite these difficulties, Lopetegui stated that he had the dressing room's confidence and believed the team was on the right track initially.

However, a poor run of results quickly unraveled the situation. Lopetegui pointed to a specific two-week period where multiple setbacks occurred, including an own goal in Moscow and Isco's appendicitis. This period saw the team fall seven points behind Barcelona, leading to his dismissal in October after just 14 matches in charge.

Lopetegui further suggested that the problems at Real Madrid were deeper than initially perceived, noting the team's subsequent performance. After his departure, Real Madrid finished more than 20 points adrift of Barcelona in La Liga and were knocked out of the Champions League by Ajax.

According to Yahoo Sports Soccer, Lopetegui, now manager of Qatar, reflected on these events in an interview with El Mundo.