Julen Lopetegui is gone from Real Madrid and while Antonio Conte was heavily speculated to be his successor, some hiccups in discussions have led to other names being put forward, one of which is Michael Laudrup.
Laudrup has been away from the limelight of European football since leaving Swansea in 2014, and the ex-Swans boss gave an interview to MARCA.
How are things? Are you looking for a squad?
"No, I ended up in Qatar for almost three years and have decided to take a break. I haven't defined the length of it yet but I want to see how much I miss football. I started playing at 17 and lived outside of Denmark for almost 40 years. Now, my body is asking me to spend more time with my family and I am a grandfather of two children so I want to do the things I enjoy. I have no firm ideas about what to do with my future and anyway, I'm working on television covering the Champions League, Premier League etc. You can never completely separate from football and I still love it."
Would you not accept a project at Real Madrid?
"Not now because I need my time. The earliest I'll return is next summer and I'll see what my decision will be regarding my profession. At this time, I feel like I enjoy this life more. It's not a question of being offered a big contract, as I'd say no. But it bothered me that Spanish press said I offered myself to Real Madrid and now I have rejected an offer from Florentino Perez. Neither are true and I don't understand why it was said. I understand this is a moment in which a lot is happening but that was just invented."
How much of the blame is on the coach, in this case Julen Lopetegui?
"Twenty-five percent and no more. Blame and credit should always be divided between players, coach and management. We take the last step and impose style but it is the players who play to win a game. I say this from my experience as a player, the coach is never the ultimate culprit."
Do you think Santiago Solari is ready to coach Real Madrid at this time?
"It's difficult to be prepared but you have to start and there are many who have done well in their first job. He doesn't have much experience but he knows the club, which is very important. In recent years both Madrid and Barcelona have done well with people who understand the club. The Madrid coach doesn't have to teach his players how to play football, but to know the club inside, that's how it works."
How have you seen Madrid in these last nine days?
"They have their problems but it doesn't surprise me because even last Christmas they lost the Clasico at the [Estadio Santiago] Bernabeu and they were even further away from the leader. Winning the Champions League covered those problems, but Cristiano Ronaldo has left and important players went to the World Cup, such as Luka Modric, and are tired. They lost 40 goals a year, didn't replace them and they need to defend better."
How did your vision of football change from the bench?
"As a player you are more unfair to a coach, as many of us realise when we become coaches. The life of a coach has nothing to do with that of a footballer, it is much harder. As a player, you think about yourself but when you coach you deal with those who play, those who don't, those who are injured etc. The only thing that makes you enjoy coaching is seeing a group evolve and your team winning a title."
cenaldo
0
perez is to be blame for all of this.
hossttry
0
If this team has no salvation, it goes to the ass and in the bottle
Biainkobe
1
Some news about that we have to return to save a project, Floren with public money ?? This time the bird that goes to France.Summer and follow.
Tuesday
0
Nobody wants to train Madrid, for something will be. Lopetegui before the summer was not an option for Madrid, only that of the 5 options that Madrid wanted, all rejected Madrid. For something will be, club lordship
Jamesing
0
Some had already left yesterday saying that he had rejected an offer from Madrid. They are the same ones who enjoy poking at the wound, making firewood from the fallen tree, looking for total humiliation. They are the ones who spit up and always, they always end up falling again, but they do not learn. The more they fight against Madrid, the stronger they do it.
payback
0
The good of Laudrup and the "señorío" merengue do not marry too much, besides that Florentino does not last for half a round ... in less than two months he has already gone through the miniprimer.
Salario
0
Yesterday I did not believe the news at all and today the same Laudrup confirms the falsehood of it, so the effect that wants to produce that "nobody wants to go to Madrid" falls like a house of cards. Madrid has the worst local press in the world and it seems that instead of being proud of having the best team of all time, some journalists from Madrid (more than you would want to) are bothered by the triumphs of Madrid and they build with your failures. Transformed the phrase of the Cid, one could say "Que bon senyor oviese bon vasallo"
Enriqueze
0
Read the interview, almost everything coincides with that published by the other media that says that if you have rejected an offer precisely because of what is explained here, you want an organized project, from the beginning and without emergencies. Logical and normal.
inkabisst
0
Right now training Madri is a brown, the only motivation would be economic, since there is no project of any type (sports) and without this the coaches are little more than puppets used to try to cover the shortcomings of the club. The Pesetegui case has been the clearest example of this.
aozao
0
And we still do not talk about the humiliation to Madrid on Sunday or a news, today will win the Madrid 10/0 and that if the best team in history gold bolones etc
Candra_Ward
0
when you want to sign contract don't forget to ask high severance pay [vampire]
Defenses
1
Mark, if you seem to stop putting news of the 9th in the league, and you can focus on the 8 q go ahead, because it is amazing that there is no news on the cover of any team, except a small club goes 9th!
jealousyh
0
then have if I find out .... did not say the journalists that laudrup had rejected the offer of Madrid ??? You are very deceitful all, in my life I will believe what you say the newspapers, you are false and you only know how to invent in case.
Zihamoryz
1
Fake news everywhere
WasimRaz
1
Someone please stop this type of fake news...