Sports Burst - Mayhem In Madrid
Real Madrid begin search for new manager as Santiago Solari takes the helm for Copa del Rey clash
Santiago Solari takes first steps at Real Madrid manager
As if to build the suspense - or work out what the heck they were going to do next - Real Madrid finally announced the inevitable sacking of Julen Lopetegui at 9PM local time in Spain on Monday.
And not in nicest way either, with a rather blunt statement noting that the team's results were not worthy of the quality of the players.
There was some sympathy at least for the now former boss with Pep Guardiola saying on Monday that Lopetegui was "an exceptional person" who will get another chance "to show his value". Well, that's another story for another day.
In a whirlwind 48-hours for Madrid, the team's temporary manager, Santiago Solari, will be making his press conference debut today. If the Argentinean manager of the side's second team doesn't smoke already, then today is a good day to start as the questions are going to be becoming thick and fast.
Solari will be talking ahead of Madrid's Copa del Rey debut on Wednesday against Melilla, which will see the team heading to North Africa to play in a city that technically speaking is Spanish, but is located in Morocco. Yep, it's that kind of week.
Meanwhile, the blame game will continue in the Madridista world with players and the club's president, Florentino Perez, being called out for another fine mess that Real Madrid has stumbled into.
Catch all the latest on the Madrid mayhem on our Sports Burst live show at 12PM ET / 9AM PT on our beIN SPORTS Facebook page.
Conte no longer in pole position for Real Madrid job
The reason for the delay in Real Madrid's announcement probably came due to the fact that the replacement figure the club wanted was playing hardball. That figure is Antonio Conte.
The former Chelsea boss started Monday as the dead-cert favorite to come in but reported hostility from the dressing room - looking at you, Sergio Ramos - and the requirement of a two-and-a-half year contract sees the Italian's future at the Bernabeu as a little more uncertain.
Then again, Gazzetta dello Sport is suggesting today that Florentino Perez is still holding out for the return of Jose Mourinho, even though the Portuguese provoker is showing improved form at Manchester United. Or maybe it will be Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham? This is a telenovela that is going to have some legs. And then some.
Mourinho with $125 million transfer spend this winter
Speaking of Jose Mourinho, while Gazzetta is claiming that Mourinho could be leaving Old Trafford sooner rather than later, The Guardian in England is reporting something completely different.
The paper reports that the board is willing to back Mourinho in the transfer market in January to tune of $125 million, if the right players can be found. Probably a centerback or two. Or a striker. Or maybe even Jordi Alba which is one of the players in United rumor mill at the moment.
Ousmane Dembele is also being linked in a move from Barcelona in the summer with Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool all being possible locations for a fresh start.
Copa del Rey returns for La Liga's big cheeses
After all the thrills and spills of league action and Champions League shenanigans, the soccer world in Europe takes a little bit of a breather this week with some less rigorous cup action. And that includes the return of the mighty Copa del Rey in Spain.
The reigning champions are Barcelona, who have won the tournament on 30 occasions - just the paltry 19 for Real Madrid. Apparently some fans count things like that.
The action is spread over the three days and includes all the big cheeses. Atletico Madrid is that category and Diego Simeone's men are in the city of Barcelona to take on third tier side, Sant Andreu. That gets going on beIN SPORTS at 4:30PM ET / 1:30PM PT.
The Rojiblancos rumble is preceded by Valencia heading to lower league Ebro and trying to not to draw, a result that has featured in seven of the team's last eight games. beIN SPORTS at 2:30PM ET / 11:30AM PT is the place to be for that clash.
There is cup action to be had in England, Germany and the Netherlands. And the best will feature on the XTRA at 7PM ET / 4PM PT.