Crunch time for Solari as Real left relying on Europe again
MADRID: Santiago Solari’s future is likely to hinge on Real Madrid again winning the Champions League but two defeats by Barcelona in four days have brought old problems back to the surface.
After being knocked out of the Spanish King’s Cup and effectively deemed irrelevant in the title race, a third loss in as many games could see Real’s season wiped out in a week.
“We have to react,” said defender Dani Carvajal. “It’s probably been one of the toughest weeks in my time here.”
Ajax deserved more from the 2-1 loss in Amsterdam that, in theory, puts their opponents firmly in charge ahead of the second leg today.
But three consecutive defeats at the Bernabeu for the first time in 15 years means Real will be feeling the heat.
Solari too, the coach that was handed a contract until 2021 when appointed only five months ago but who might not last the season should Ajax do the unthinkable and reach the quarter-finals.
Jose Mourinho’s criticism as a pundit for bEIN Sports on the latest Clasico will be seen as opportunistic but the reality is he is still well-regarded at Real. Unlike other potential successors, he is also available to start immediately.
Still, Solari will know Real have been here before.
Last season, Zinedine Zidane’s team crashed out earlier in the King’s Cup and to Leganes, not Barcelona. They were adrift in La Liga too.
But victories in Europe over Paris St Germain and Juventus blurred those failures while beating Liverpool in the final seemed to extinguish them almost completely.
Solari will surely pay the price if domestic disappointment is extended into the Champions League, where context could be significant – the stage, opponent and manner of defeat - but after four triumphs in five years, it is hard to imagine anything less than lifting the trophy would be deemed a success.
For Solari, that is a high bar set, and a reminder perhaps of why Real found so few elite coaches eager to follow Zidane last summer.