Pep Guardiola backs "exceptional" Julen Lopetegui to bounce back

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 30 October 2018

Guardiola backs Lopetegui to bounce back

Pep Guardiola expects former Barcelona teammate Julen Lopetegui to "show his value again" at another club after being sacked as Real Madrid manager.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has tipped "exceptional" Julen Lopetegui to bounce back from his sacking as Real Madrid boss.

The 52-year-old was given his marching orders on Monday evening, just four months after replacing Zinedine Zidane in the Bernabeu hotseat.

Lopetegui's fate was sealed following the heavy 5-1 El Clasico defeat to Barcelona at the weekend - Real's fifth loss in six games.

Despite the crushing nature of Lopetegui's exit, however, former Barcelona teammate Guardiola has backed him to succeed in his next role.

"Football, I know what it is. We are still here because we win games; if we don't win we will be sacked," he told reporters after Man City's 1-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur.

"I'm sorry for Julen because he's a friend of mine. He's an exceptional person. We played together at Barcelona and have an amazing relation. I want to call him in the next few days. It is what it is. It's football, nobody escapes that.

"When you have bad results you will not continue in big, big places like Barcelona or Madrid. You either win in or row or don't have the chance to continue.

"But in football you'll have another chance. Julen will have another chance to show his value again, like he did with Porto and the national team with Spain. I wish him all the best, of course."

Lopetegui will be replaced by Santiago Solari on a short-term basis until Madrid find a permanent manager.