What has changed at Real Madrid after Zinedine Zidane left?

On May 31, 2018, Zinedine Zidane unexpectedly left his post as Real Madrid coach having won three Champions Leagues in two-and-a-half seasons on the bench at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. Now, 200 days later, the club have changed coach again, suffered one of the worst crises of their history and have seen their star player say goodbye.

News of Julen Lopetegui's appointment at Real Madrid dropped like a bomb on Spain's World Cup preparations, sending the national team into a crisis of their own and the RFEF wasted little time in dismissing him just days before the tournament began.

Cristiano's exit
Zidane's departure was soon followed by that of Cristiano Ronaldo who, on July 10, set sail for Juventus and the European champions waved goodbye to 50 goals a season.

Atletico win the European Super Cup
Without Zidane and Cristiano, Madrid faced Atletico in the European Super Cup final and it was the Rojiblancos who came out on top, beating their city rivals in a final for the second time in their history.

The crisis of the clock
Madrid went 481 minutes without scoring a goal in one of the club's all-time worst crises ad Lopetegui's rule over the club looked set to end before ever really starting.

Julen is removed, Solari takes over
A 5-1 defeat to Barcelona at the Camp Nou was the straw that broke the camel's back and Lopetegui was sacked on October 29, with Santiago Solari taking over and making instant, though not complete, improvements.

Keylor, Isco and Asensio dropped
Solari didn't shy away from making big decisions and Keylor Navas' time as Champions League goalkeeper was ended, limiting him to just Copa del Rey action, while Isco and Marco Asensio lost their respective places aswell.

Reguilon, Odriozola and Ceballos on the pitch
With the changes, Sergio Reguilon, Alvaro Odriozola and Dani Ceballos have been afforded - and taken - opportunities in the first team under Solari.

Casemiro's replacement
Marcos Llorente was the latest player to step up in the absence of a key player and he has become integral in midfield for Solari, showing he has what it takes to compete at this level.

The Club World Cup
Nine victories and two defeats in 11 games is Solari's record and Real Madrid are preparing to be crowned as world champions again as they set off for Abu Dhabi.In spite of everything, Real have progressed to the last 16 of the Champions League, are through in the Copa del Rey and have the chance to win silverware before Christmas.