What does Real Madrid’s appointment of Julen Lopetegui mean for Barcelona?

Julen Lopetegui’s appointment by Real Madrid is significant for Barcelona due to the impact it will have on them.

The 51-year-old was manager of the Spanish national team going into the World Cup prior to the Real Madrid announcement. His decision to take charge of Los Blancos after the tournament has cost him the chance to manage Spain in the World Cup because he was sacked by the Spanish football federation (RFEF). It was based on the lack of information given to them about these negotiations, but it was also related to the club rivalries due to Barcelona and Atletico players being in the side, which would have led to media speculation on his every decision.

This was unfortunate because he has been heavily involved in the national team set-up after working his way up through the youth teams. The World Cup was supposed to act as the reward for all the hard work, with Spain having a realistic chance of going all the way. Instead, he gets to start his planning for next season earlier than anticipated.

His work with the national team still deserves credit, though. He took over after the Euros when they lost to Italy in the Round of Sixteen. This was the second consecutive early tournament exit. He rejuvenated an ageing team while maintaining the short passing possession based principles, although he was tactically flexible. Players such as Isco, Asensio and Saul Niguez were brought in to revamp the team, with significant success because he didn’t lose any of his 20 games in charge and won nine out of 10 qualifying games.

Lopetegui’s only previous stints in club management were with Rayo Vallecano and Porto, where he had mixed success. He has a strong connection with Real Madrid because he played for them and managed the B side, although he did also play for Barca.

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What to expect?

His time with Spain was a success because he implemented an exciting style, which got the best out of the players at his disposal. For an international side, they had a high level of chemistry and understanding, which allowed them to utilise a technically demanding set-up. However, that could have been due to the top players at his disposal.

He is likely to bring a structured style of play to Real, which will contrast heavily with Zinedine Zidane’s tenure. The focus will be on maintaining possession in a cohesive shape because that will get the best out of Real’s strong midfield and allow them to control games. This means that they are unlikely to be as open, which was a common issue during Zidane’s reign because of how they pushed players forward recklessly with some individuals, such as Marcelo, being unwilling to track back. It won’t be as exciting, but it will be a lot more coherent.

Lopetegui will utilise the Spanish core more effectively by building a system that suits them. Therefore, Dani Ceballos and Marco Asensio are likely to be major beneficiaries of his appointment. His attacking shape is likely to revolve around Isco, who he is a big fan of as shown by his use of him for the national team. The only issue with this is that his in-depth tactical instructions could annoy the big egos in the team who are used to Zidane’s relaxed approach.

How will it affect Barcelona?

His approach means that Los Blancos are likely to be a lot more consistent due to not being as reliant on individual brilliance. This means they should be a lot stronger domestically, especially in La Liga. However, this is likely to ask more from the players throughout the season, so a downturn in the Champions League is probable.

Real’s league title challenge should be a lot stronger next season. Although, this is highly dependent on whether Lopetegui is able to get the team behind his ideas especially the main players such as Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo. The start of the season is also crucial because a lack of results in the first half of the season could very easily see him sacked.

It seems improbable that he will be able to guide them to another Champions League title. Although that was said about Real for the last two seasons. This is certainly an interesting change, and any manager would struggle after the success Zidane has had in Europe. It’s a shame that it had to happen in this way, though.