Lopetegui aims at success with Real Madrid despite El Clasico thrashing Julen Lopetegui maintains that things will eventually turn out for the good of his side in spite of the 5-1 rampage endured at Camp Nou on Sunday afternoon.
A hat-trick by Luis Suarez and a goal apiece from Philippe Coutinho and Arturo Vidal ensured a cruising victory for Barcelona, who was without injured talisman Lionel Messi. While the Catalans reached all sort of milestones with the afternoon's result, Los Blancos hit a new low as they recorded their third successive defeat in La Liga this season.
Real Madrid lose three La Liga matches in a row for the first time since May 2009, when they suffered five consecutive defeats (joint-club record). #ElClasico
— Gracenote Live (@GracenoteLive) October 28, 2018
Embattled fans of the capital club are, as a result, calling for the immediate sack of head coach Julen Lopetegui who is yet to lead a convincing crusade following his arrival this summer. Momentarily, the Bernabeu outfit sits in the 10th position in La Liga with just 14 points after 10 games.
Nevertheless, the club's head coach, despite feeling wretched about the outcome of Sunday's game, insisted that the situation can be salvaged in the coming days.
"I feel sad at the moment, but with full strength to remain in charge of this group," Lopetegui told reporters after El Clasico.
"This is a tough blow, but I am strong enough to know everything can be turned around. There is a long way to go, and I have a lot of faith in this group of players.
"We all know how the world of football works and the final responsibility lies with the coach. I am not stupid," he added.
"But here we win together and lose together. I still believe we are in an [early] stage of the season, and Madrid this year will celebrate."
In a related development, the odds of Antonio Conte taking over from Lopetegui has been massively slashed. Spanish news outlet Onda Cero claims that Real Madrid looks set to appoint the former Chelsea manager on Monday afternoon.
The process is expected to go on smoothly after the Italian boss solved his legal issues with Chelsea following his sack.
