The Santi Solari debate – should he stay on at Real Madrid next season?
By Hasan Karim
Real Madrid are currently battling through their next few season defining weeks. Having put in a solid Clasico performance and beating Atletico Madrid 3-1 in their own home, they’ve gotten off to a flying start. With games coming thick and fast, if Santi Solari pulls it out of the bag and wins something, should he stay on?
When Real Madrid appointed Santi Solari after the sacking of Julen Lopetegui, fans weren’t too enthusiastic about the appointment. The former Castilla manager was not favourable and his body of work was not all too impressive.
His opening few games were shaky as Madrid were winning again but the performances weren’t particularly exciting. Drab wins such as the 1-0 victories over Vallodolid and Huesca and then of course the disaster of losing at home to CSKA Moscow, 3-0 in the UEFA Champions League group-stage, fans were looking at Solari as the band-aid on the cut – a temporary solution until Madrid could chase a more qualified and tactically astute name in the summer.
However, Real Madrid and Solari have seemingly turned a corner in the last couple of months. The football is becoming more entertaining to watch, the goals are flying in, individuals are beginning to shine – they look like Real Madrid again. A team that only a matter of months ago looked to be writing the season off to start again next season are now suddenly looking at a possible Copa del Rey final and an outside shot at reigniting the title race, who knows, they could even make a deeper run into the UEFA Champions League – everything suddenly all seems possible and Santi Solari deserves credit for that.
The Argentine is still a divisive figure at the club as some fans are still not happy with things such as his treatment of Isco. However, beyond personal agendas, Solari has steadied the ship and has implemented system and structure to Real Madrid, even defensively. By full-time this season, Real Madrid are conceding less at home (0.45) than both Barcelona (1.25) and Atletico Madrid (0.58) – considering how shaky Madrid were at home earlier in the season, this is a commendable effort to make the Bernabeu a fortress again.
Not only that but Solari has also put in some solid performances and so far in his two biggest games of the season, he’s come out with results. The Clasico at the Nou Camp was a game many were favouring Barcelona – with or without Messi, nobody was forgetting the 5-1 loss earlier in the season. However, Real came out and bossed proceedings for majority of the game, the only mark on Solari? Perhaps choosing the clearly unfit Marcelo which caused his side to concede.
Against Atletico Madrid? He absolutely got his tactics and his selection spot on. Casemiro returned for the injured Llorente and bossed the middle of the park, Sergio Reguilon came in for Marcelo and put in a solid effort offensively and defensively. The team looked much better at the back with the adjustment he made – it clearly shows he is studying his games and he is learning from his mistakes. His tactics to simply control the ball and force Atletico to lunge in worked wonders as they punished their aggression, pressing the Atletico team at the right time as they’ve conceded the most of their goals between the 30th – 50th minute mark (28%) as well as the 50th – 70th minute mark where they’ve conceded half of their goals. This game was the first time Atletico have conceded 3 at home since Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick against them 2016. To go and do that is no easy task.
Another feather to add to the proverbial hat for Solari is his implementation of youngsters and others. Under Solari, Reguilon has pushed Marcelo out of the left-back position, Odriozola is actively competing with Carvajal for right-back, Llorente has become a crowd favourite and is largely preferred to Casemiro by some and Vinicius Jr has began to blossom into one of Real’s best attackers as he keeps the likes of Bale and Asensio on the outside looking in. The Brazilian has stepped up hugely and Solari deserves the credit for that, especially identifying how much manager he causes, in our last few games most of our attack comes from the left, 50% vs Girona, 40% vs Alaves, 45.7% vs Barcelona and 45% vs Atletico. He has clearly identified the confidence of the Brazilian and is giving him the opportunity to shine.
It is also worth noting how he has gotten Benzema back to his best – the Frenchman looks reborn under Solari and is enjoying the best form he has had in years, he’s reinstated Lucas Vasquez and the Spanish winger has become an important cog in the system. What is most commendable about Solari is the fact he hasn’t given in to the usual ‘status and value’ tradition of picking his XI based on the biggest stars, he’s picked it based on who is performing.
However, how does Solari fair against other managers after 25 games managed? Not bad at all as it turns out. In fact, Solari won his first Madrid derby, something both Ancelotti and Zidane didn’t manage and neither did his predecessor, Lopetegui. In terms of wins after his first 25? He has more than Del Bosque, Capello and Pellegrini. His total of 19 wins is just behind Mourinho and Zidane, both of who had 20, better than Benitez and equal to Ancelotti on 19 also. In terms of points earned in his first 25 games, he betters Del Bosque, Capello, Pellegrini although he is not far behind Zidane (63), Mourinho (64) and Ancelotti (61) with Solari on 59.
Next. Tactical review of Real Madrid's 3-1 win over Atletico in the Madrid derby. dark
Whether you are a fan of him or not, Solari has made a point in recent weeks. He may have not had the experience or the glamour of other managers, but he is evolving and he is learning. His numbers are impressive and growing – as a detractor myself, I now question, should Real look for another option in the summer if he’s able to secure silverware and finish strongly?