Many believed then that Zidane resigned because he believed the team needed a major overhaul, with Cristiano Ronaldo looking to leave, while other key players such as Luka Modric, Sergio Ramos and Marcelo were growing old, Tony Kroos getting stale and Gareth Bale constantly struggling with injuries.

Solari was promoted from the Real Madrid B-team at the start of November when Zidane's replacement, former Spain coach Julen Lopetegui, was sacked following a 5-1 defeat to FC Barcelona in the 10th round of matches in the Liga Santander.

Solari's arrival sparked a reaction from some players and he can be credited with showing faith in youngsters such as Marcos Llorente, Sergio Reguilon and especially Vinicius Jr, who has been Madrid's best player in recent weeks. However, Solari also had problems with some players, such as left back Marcelo and Spain international Isco, who he left out of last week's defeat and Sunday's win in Valladolid.