Three things to watch for as Julen Lopetegui takes over Real Madrid

Real Madrid announced yesterday that Spanish Manager Julen Lopetegui will take be their new manager. Here’s a look at three things to look out for since his appointment.

It’s only been a day since the appointment of Julen Lopetegui and fans have a lot of questions. After several names had been thrown in the air the board of Real Madrid has found the one, that no one heard of. Julen will now take on one of the biggest challenges of his footballing career.

The last time Julen managed a club was FC Porto in 2014. In January of 2016, he was sacked from the Portuguese club. From there he has been in charge of the Spanish National team which was oddly short-lived.

Managing Los Blancos is no small feat, especially considering the last few years of success in the Capital. There has been a wealth of drama since the Champions League victory just a few weeks ago. Zinedine Zidane has stepped down and several players may walk out the doors of the Bernabeu. All that aside, here some of the biggest issues the Spaniard may face.

Spanish Bias

When a manager joins a new squad there are several things to take care of. One of the biggest is controlling the locker room and building relationships with players. Julen is in a very unique situation as he goes from national to the club manager. From attack to defense, there are six players who played for both teams.

Julen has spent plenty of time with the Spanish national team for some time now. During his time Lopetegui has built unique relationships with these players. The dynamic though at the club level is somewhat different from that of at the national level. Before even arriving at the Valdebebas Julen will have a thorough understanding of a fair portion of the squad.

While all the players aforementioned are important to the squad a healthy rotation is necessary. It was evident under Zidane how the rotation of players can bring about silverware. Fans may find Julen being complicit in his squad selection. Going with players that he knows could be a result of doing what he knows and comfortable. While those players do possess a heap of quality this would diminish the growth and happiness of others.

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The main question is could this previous relationship impact his decision-making as a manager? It is quite a precarious situation and at the same time dangerous. If Julen opts to leave Gareth Bale on the bench, for example, many could take that as him being biased. One could only hope that his squad selection won’t be influenced.

Madrid’s Youth

Julen will have some say in transfers this summer and beyond if he is able to retain his position. Along with an important transfer window how he addresses the youth will also be under some scrutiny. Madrid has an aging squad with several key players pushing past 30.

Last summer Real picked up several youth players from different clubs in La Liga. In the 2017-2018 season, they found themselves with few minutes to play under Zidane. With little playing time given to the youth products, a few have been linked with a move out of the club.

Keeping these players in Madrid will be of utmost importance for Julen. Many of these players are viable options for Real’s future squads. Keeping hold of them and letting them flourish will be a huge upside and veering away from the Galactico policy. This would help Madrid build the squad for the upcoming generations while going easy on the pockets.

Thankfully Julen has experience with many of the youngsters having coached them before. Julen was also in charge of the Spanish U21 and U19 squads claiming a title with both.

Next: Real Madrid appoint new manager

Gareth Bale

The Welshman is always a focal point of this Real Madrid squad. After all, he’s a world record transfer but had an odd place in the club for the last few years. From injuries to being overlooked by the manager, Bale has not had an easy time with Real Madrid.

What Julen will do with Gareth Bale is anyone’s guess at this point. Bale could be sold and bring in an incredible amount of money for the club. This would allow Lopetegui to beef up his squad with some new additions. Julen could also be a huge fan on of the Welshman and be a consistent starter next season. If so, does that mean that one or more attackers are sold?

Regardless of whether Bale is to leave or stay should be a priority for Julen in order to get the team ready for the next season.  Here’s what we do know about Julen though from a tactical standpoint and how that could effect Bale. Having a clear and decisive plan in terms of personnel will help set the tone for the squad.  It is key for players to know their place in a team and having others on edge could push them out the door.

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