Real sack coach Julen Lopetegui over poor run

Real Madrid have sacked Julen Lopetegui as manager after four and a half months in charge at the Bernabeu.

The Spaniard succeeded Zinedine Zidane in June but the crushing 5-1 El Clasico defeat by Barcelona on Sunday was their fifth loss in six games.

Real, Champions League winners for the past three years, are ninth in La Liga after their worst start since 2001-02.

The 52-year-old will be “provisionally replaced” by ex-player Santiago Solari, coach of B team Castilla.

Lopetegui took a training session on Monday but his fate was confirmed following a board meeting.

A club statement said “there is a great disproportion between the quality of the staff of Real Madrid” and “the results obtained to date”.

Eight of the current Real squad are on the 30-man shortlist for the 2018 Ballon d’Or.
Solari has a favourable run of fixtures for the start of his tenure, beginning with a Spanish Cup match against Segunda Division B Group 4 side Melilla on Wednesday.

It is the second time Lopetegui has been sacked this year having been dismissed by Spain two days before the World Cup.

That sacking came after it emerged the Spanish football federation was unaware he was in talks to take the Real job after the tournament.

Real have 14 out of a possible 30 points in the league this season and have taken only one from their past five matches – their worst run since they went pointless in the final five games of 2008-09 under Juande Ramos.

They are now six points above the Spanish top flight’s relegation places, and seven behind leaders Barcelona.