The Julen Lopetegui era at Real Madrid will officially begin tonight as Los Blancos face Manchester in their first International Champions Cup match in the United States. The lingering question that Madridistas have is what will the club be like with Cristiano Ronaldo now gone? The new boss is not worried about it.
Let me begin by making it very clear that there is no animosity between Julen Lopetegui and Cristiano Ronaldo. When I say the Spanish manager is excited about the future without CR7, it means he is looking forward to the challenge.
This is a huge transition period for the club and Lopetegui will be looked to as the guy to return order to the uneasy fans and board members.
"“When I signed, Cristiano still belonged to Real Madrid but soon he expressed his desire to leave,” Lopetegui told reporters Monday. “As a coach, it is an exciting challenge to make a competitive team without Cristiano. [I have] recognition for one of the most important players in the history of Real Madrid, the club appreciated his legacy by facilitating his departure.”"
One of the best things about any job is facing adversity or a tough challenge. That is exactly how Julen feels now. He knows the crazy amounts of talent within the team and he can use players that were looked down upon just a year ago as regulars.
For example, Gareth Bale and Dani Ceballos. The manager has said that he is excited to give both of these guys a bigger role in this team. Although it will be more difficult for Ceballos to be a regular starter, Bale without a doubt should be.
"“We are convinced that Bale is going to have a great year and we expect a lot from him. We will work together for him to reach top form,” Lopetegui said of Bale later in the interview. “We are delighted with the squad we have and are convinced that we will fight for all our objectives, and it cannot be any other way at Real Madrid. We want to be a great team on the pitch.”"
If it was possible, I’m sure Julen would play all 32 players that are in the US with the team for the preseason, but of course, he can only play 22. That does give him some flexibility as he can see at least two-thirds of the team play for at least a little bit.
There are still two matches against both AS Roma and Juventus to come, so time is on his side. Watch out for a new formation and some brand new tactics that we didn’t get to see under former manager Zinedine Zidane.
It should be a very fun match to watch regardless of the result.