Julen Lopetegui was on the training pitch today despite the fact he is widely expected to sacked this week.
The under-fire Real Madrid boss was pictured working with his players his morning despite reports that he was about to be sacked.
Antonio Conte is widely expected to be named the next Real boss and Lopetegui's position appeared to be untenable after Barcelona roasted their fierce rivals 5-1 on Sunday. It has been a dreadful start to the season for Real Madrid who have struggled to cope without the goals of Cristiano Ronaldo. They are ninth in La Liga with no win in their last five games.
Yet the former Spain manager Lopetegui was trying to prove it was business as usual on Monday, supervising training drills and preparing his team for a Copa del Rey clash against Melilla on Wednesday.
The Real Madrid website posted a photo of training, captioned: “The session began with physical work for the rest of the squad. Next, the Whites worked on possession and pressing and played games on a small field. Lopetegui called up Castilla players De la Fuente, Cristo and Alex.”
Conte last week agreed a pay-off from Chelsea which enabled him to walk into the Real Madrid job. Even though Jose Mourinho and Mauricio Pochettino have been linked to the Real Madrid job in recent months, Conte's instant availability makes him the leading choice. Chelsea sacked Conte during the summer and although he is regularly mentioned with a host of vacancies, this would appear to be a perfect fit.
