Florentino Perez, not Lopetegui is responsible for the crisis at Real Madrid

Florentino Perez is a billionaire and an astute businessman. His time as president of Real Madrid can rightly be said to be a success. He has also overseen 23 trophy wins in his two spells as the man in the White House.

His sacking of Julen Lopetegui is no longer news and is not new for one of football's more ruthless presidents. Amid the furor over the sacking, he has also come in for severe criticism. This is because the club's current issues can be traced to his actions over the last two seasons.

Perez and the genesis of the current crisis

Life was good at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in the 2016/2017 season. Propelled by star quality all across the pitch and an astute manager in Zinedine Zidane, Los Merengues won both La Liga and Duodecima (the club’s 12th).

Zidane foresaw the coming storms and wisely bailed out

Everywhere you looked, Real Madrid had genuine world-class quality. Keylor Navas was brilliant between the sticks. Sergio Ramos’ big-game reputation was enhanced with match-saving goals (see the dying minute equalizer in El Clasico at the Nou Camp). Cristiano Ronaldo was in beast mode; Toni Kroos and Luka Modric were orchestrating and so much more.

The biggest strength of the team that season was the bench. Whenever things weren’t going well, the likes of James Rodriguez, Isco, Marco Asensio, Mariano Diaz, Mateo Kovacic, and Alvaro Morata were sent in to rescue the situation.

However, having this kind of quality on the bench was not sustainable. James, Diaz, and Morata were not okay with being mere subs. They asked for and got transfers. In his all-knowing arrogance, Perez chose not to sign quality replacements. The likes of Dani Ceballos and Theo Hernandez were bought. Jesus Vallejo and Diego Llorente returned from productive loan spells.

Players like James and Morata hated being substitutes

A severe drop in quality followed, Perez was to blame

The severe drop in quality badly affected the team the following season. The sharing around of the goals and responsibilities; (6 players got double figures for goals and the team scored in every game it played) dropped. Karim Benzema went back to his old, bad ways of missing sitters; Gareth Bale was constantly injured and so on.

The winning of Decimotercera (13th UCL title) was a great achievement. However, it covered the deficiencies in domestic football. Los Blancos finished in 3rd place in La Liga, 23 points behind winners FC Barcelona. In the Copa Del Rey, the team was eliminated by Leganes in the quarterfinal on the away goals rule.

It became clear to everyone especially Zidane that there was a need for rejuvenation. The core of the team; Ronaldo, Ramos, Kroos, Modric, Marcelo were getting older. The declining productivity of the likes of Benzema and Bale meant change was needed. Zidane’s distrust of younger players like Llorente, Vallejo, and Theo did not help either.

Lopetegui was not given a fair chance to show his quality

However, Perez refused to sanction moves for new players. His obsession with signing Galacticos which had been tempered in recent seasons seemed to have resurfaced. It is obvious now that Zidane saw this coming and chose to keep his legacy spotless by resigning.

Perez left Lopetegui with his hands tied behind his back

This was what Lopetegui had to work with when he took over; shorn of its most potent attacking weapon. Real Madrid’s disgraceful press statement tried hard to obscure the fact that its so-called eight Ballon d'Or nominees were not performing.

Real Madrid had adapted their play to get the best out of Ronaldo; quick-passing football with lots of crosses and strikers who vacated the box to allow him space to run into. It was a spectacular success in cup competitions. However, it was a tactic wholly unsuited for the marathon that is league football. This explains why the club has only won one league title in the same time span it had won 4 UCL titles.

Ronaldo’s decision to leave the club left a huge vacuum. It necessitated a change of approach in how the team was set-up. This was what the change that Lopetegui tried to implement in his brief stay. There was a gradual shift to a more patient, passing style of play that would fit the players currently at the club.

Real Madrid's top stars have been in poor form

For his style to have worked, he needed certain players to work with. Benzema is no longer good enough to play as the focal point in a fast passing, risk-taking, vertical tiki-taka style that was looking promising during his time with La Furia Roja.

Perez’s obsession with the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and other big-name stars did not allow sensible transfer moves to go through. Nobody in their right senses would have thought that Bale, Benzema, Asensio, returnee Diaz and co. could cover the huge gap Ronaldo’s exit left.

Error-strewn displays and sloppiness have characterized the team's play. It is true that the former Spain manager made questionable tactical choices. However, he should have been given time to fix the issues.

What next after Lopetegui’s exit?

Santiago Solari has been appointed as interim manager. Until his promotion, he was the manager of Real Madrid's B team; Castilla. Keen followers of the club will be aware of his abysmal record with the youth team (8th and 11th in two seasons). It is certain that his stay will be a very brief one.

Solari's reign will be a brief one

Coaches like Antonio Conte, Mauricio Pochettino and Roberto Martinez have been mentioned. Martinez looks the likeliest to be a company man, someone who will go along with Perez’s wishes.

On the other hand, Conte is a high maintenance manager who will make certain demands El Presidente may not like. He is more comfortable working with older players. This could work short-term. However, it will lead to bigger issues down the road. The current core of the team is ageing and approaching their sell-by-date. Having a man who prefers older players at the helm may mean trouble when the time for regeneration comes up.

The Italian's record with revitalizing teams is exceptional in league football; see Juventus and Chelsea. Although, when it comes to European competitions, his record was horrendous.

This leaves the Argentine currently brooding at Tottenham Hotspur. Pochettino looks to have reached the ceiling of what he can achieve given Spurs’ financial restrictions. A move to Real would be the dream for a coach who fancies himself in the same league as the Pep Guardiolas and Jose Mourinhos of this world.

Pochettino has been linked to the Real Madrid job

Real have been thrifty in recent times (a net spend profit of £6.82m in the last 5 seasons). However, Perez and whoever becomes the permanent coach will need to work to undo the damage. A damage he; Perez wrought over the last two seasons.