Julen Lopetegui latest: Real Madrid leave two dreams shattered and one man broken after disastrous four months

As his players trained on Monday morning, Julen Lopetegui was all alone with his thoughts. The Real Madrid coach was seen staring into space and he must have been wondering quite how this has happened.

In the space of four months, his world has been turned upside down. One dream job was taken away from him after he accepted another and now, the second one is all but gone as well.

The question is not if, but when. On Sunday evening, rumours soon spread that Lopetegui would be sacked by Real Madrid that very evening. He survived in the end, though it seems only a stay of execution. With a game on Tuesday and a press conference on Monday and nobody else to step in after the players reportedly vetoed youth team coach Santiago Solari, it was perhaps only logistics that saved him.

As he spoke to the media on Monday after four defeats in his past five games, Lopetegui said he hoped to turn things around. He was not aware, he claimed, of what was being written and discussed. But the seven questions from journalists about the club’s crisis and his future should have given him a fair idea.

“Could tomorrow’s game be your last?”, “Have you had public backing from the board?”, Do you believe you are in a delicate situation?”, Are you playing for your job tomorrow?”, “Can you guarantee you will be in charge for the Clasico on Sunday?”, How is the dressing room?”, “Are you not crestfallen? Sentenced?”

It must have been hard, but he stuck it out. “What I have learnt at this club is to fight,” he said. “I have it engraved in me with fire and we are going to fight to revert this situation which is not the best, but we are still in time to be able to revert it.”

He must now know that he will not be afforded that time. He may not even be in charge for the Clasico on Sunday – because beating Barca could create an even more awkward situation for Florentino Perez, the president. What then? How can you sack a coach after a win at Camp Nou?

If he could turn back time, Lopetegui would surely do things differently. Accepting Real Madrid’s offer and allowing Los Blancos to announce the decision on the eve of the World Cup ended up costing him his role with the national team and the chance of leading a super Spain side out in Russia – perhaps even to the trophy itself.

Instead, he found himself giving a press conference a day before La Roja's World Cup debut against Portugal, but back in Madrid as he was unveiled by Real, having been sacked by RFEF president Luis Rubiales.

“After the death of my mother," he said, "it was the saddest day of life." And after a long pause to regain his composure and fight back the tears, he added: "But today is the happiest day of my life."

Even then, though, something seemed to be broken. There must have been an element of regret about the Spain situation and after that, it simply had to work with Madrid. And it has not. In truth, there is no real surprise – and circumstances have contributed to his downfall.

Predecessor Zinedine Zidane spoke of a lack of motivation in the squad and jumped before he could be pushed. There were signs of decline last season and the Frenchman had papered over the cracks with a third straight Champions League crown.

Then Cristiano Ronaldo left. The Portuguese was described by Lopetegui at his unveiling as “a player I would always want by my side”, but he never had the pleasure of working with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner. And he was not replaced, either.

There is also the video assistant referee. In times gone by, Madrid have on occasions benefited from a decision or two in their favour in hours of need, but now now. VAR ruled out a Luka Modric strike in Seville, gave Levante a penalty on Saturday (after a free-kick had been awarded) and chalked off a Marco Asensio effort in the same game. Correct calls, but ones which would have fallen Real’s way in the past. Even that has gone against Lopetegui.

Nevertheless, for a Madrid side to not score in eight hours of football is nowhere near acceptable, and the 52-year-old coach will be aware of that – however much he talks about bad luck. His run of poor fortune is not really a shock, though. On that fateful day in Krasnodar in June, it all took a turn for the worse.

Whatever happens tonight against Viktoria Plzen is likely to be irrelevant now. Lopetegui is a dead man walking and little over four months after his Spain sacking, a cruel conclusion awaits.

Two dreams have been shattered and one man broken as Real ruthlessly move on with little care for the coach they used and abused. Despite the mistakes made by Lopetegui himself, It somehow seems unfair.