Amazingly enough, the Spanish football authorities have made a bold appointment-maybe not as bold as naming Paco Jemez, but bold nonetheless-in appointing Julen Lopetegui as the new national team coach.
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Del Bosque stepped down from the post following a disappointing Euro 2016 campaign and Lopetegui will now guide the former World champions towards the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Goal reports.
Lopetegui is set to be unveiled at a press conference at the RFEF Madrid headquarters later on Thursday.
The 49-year-old was dismissed by Porto for going three games without a victory and takes over from the most successful manager the worldwide side has ever seen. He failed to win a title during nearly two years in Portugal.
The former Real Madrid goalkeeper won the U21 European Championship as Spain’s coach in 2013, with a side that contained six current Spanish internationals.
He led Spain to the title at the 2012 European U19 Championship in Estonia and the following year, steered them to the U21 European Championship crown in Nyon, Switzerland.
One of Lopetegui’s main tasks will be to revamp the team as many of its top players have started to fade.
“A national team coach has very little time to transmit what he needs to a player before a big competition”, Lopetegui said.
His first match with Spain will be a friendly against Belgium on September 1.
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Lopetegui will face the task to replace Spanish “golden generation” as the nation prepares for the World Cup in Russian Federation – in their qualifying Group G, the Spaniards will face Italy, Albania, Israel, Macedonia and Liechtenstein.
