Julen Lopetegui breaks silence on Real Madrid sacking | OneFootball

Julen Lopetegui says he didn’t know where he was the day he was presented as the new coach of Real Madrid.

2018 was a whirlwind year for Lopetegui which saw him sacked by Spain on the eve of the World Cup after it transpired he had agreed to join Los Blancos after the tournament.

But his time in charge at the Bernabéu proved to be disastrous and he was dismissed after just 138 days in the job following a 5-1 humiliation at the hands of fierce rivals Barcelona.

“I didn’t sleep; I didn’t know where I was,” the 52-year-old told BBC Sport.

“One day I was in Russia training for the World Cup, the next I was in the Santiago Bernabéu with a new team.

“It was very fast, difficult to take in and the emotions were high. It was hard to be told to leave the World Cup, it was a dream that I hard worked so hard for and with all this emotion, I am human, so sometimes you can’t control it.”

Lopetegui won just six of his 14 matches in charge of Madrid and he still feels he could have turned things around given more time.

“We had a good start, the team was playing well but then we had three very bad weeks,” he said.

“You just hope you have time to find a solution because these things can balance out over a season. We were sure this situation was going to pass.

“I didn’t have time, that is the best way I can explain it.”

But the former Madrid goalkeeper says he will still remember his short stint in charge of the club positively.

“I have all respect for the new coach [Santiago Solari], his new staff,” he said.

“And the players – I love them, they had a fantastic attitude with me.

“I would never say a bad word about Real Madrid. To manage the club is a fantastic experience for any coach. I hoped I could have more time but I have to look to the future.”