Official: Santiago Solari named manager of Real Madrid
The speculation has been brewing over the past few days as to whether interim coach Santiago Solari would be given a permanent position at Real Madrid. The air is clear as the club made an official announcement.
As the season started heading into a downwards spiral questions were being asked about former manager Julen Lopetegui. Hopes were high from the Spaniard, especially considering he was the coach of the Spanish National Team just a few months prior to his appointment.
The preseason at the International Champions Cup also went well where he featured plenty of young players like Vincius Jr. and Sergio Reguillon. The first match of the season ended up being a 4-2 loss to Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup. But from there, things picked up with Madrid starting strong in La Liga.
Come the end of September is when things started to drop off with Real being thumped 3-0 by Sevilla then held to a stalemate against Atletico Madrid. October saw a Champions League loss to CKSA Moscow, then a La Liga loss to Levante. The month rounded off with an embarrassing 5-1 loss to Barcelona, which was also the last straw for the board.
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Out came Lopetegui and in came Castilla coach Santiago Solari. Solari was appointed as manager of Real Madrid on an interim basis, which started with a bang.
He lead Real Madrid to a huge 4-0 win over UD Melilla in the Copa del Rey. That was then followed by two more matches in which Real kept a clean sheet. The first a league fixture against Valladolid which finished 2-0 and a Champions League match against Plzen which wrapped up at 5-0. Just before the international break, Real defeated Celta Vigo 4-2.
Santiago Solari, @realmadrid first team head coach until June 30, 2021. pic.twitter.com/HfVsCbLo4A
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) November 13, 2018
With four wins from four matches in all three competitions, 15 goals for and just 2 against, Solari has earned his keep in the eyes of the board. The rumor mill churned on Monday that Real Madrid was submitting papers to the Spanish FA to make Solari the permanent coach of the club.
On Tuesday the club made an official announcement via their website and social media channels sharing the appointment. The announcement stated that the board of directors convened and have agreed to make Solari the coach until June of 2021.
"The board of directors of Real Madrid C.F., which met today, 13 November 2018, has agreed to appoint Santiago Solari as first-team coach until 30 June 2021. -Official Annoucement from Real Madrid"
With the appointment of Santiago Solari, this has quashed any rumors that Real Madrid is seeking a replacement. Whether this was the right move or not, only time will tell. While Solari has done a great job, he has yet to face the stiffest of competition. Nonetheless, the team have been in a good space and created a great dynamic amongst one another.
Keeping the ball rolling will be the challenge. Currently, on international break, Real Madrid return to action on November 24. They will face off against Eibar for Matchday 13 looking to close the gap with first-place leaders, Barcelona.