Solari, a guy who was passing by Real Madrid Roberto Palomar gives his opinion on the Argentine coach's recent turnaround

Santiago Solari was merely doing the work of a young coach with Castilla, nobody had even considered that he could replace Zinedine Zidane on that tragic afternoon when the Frenchman headed out of the exit door.

Florentino Perez preferred to shake the national team upside down rather than looking for a solution closer to home and put in motion a plan to hire Julen Lopetegui. It was a decision made in poor taste and what came with it was an even worse end result.

When the time came to replace Rafa Benitez and hire Zinedine Zidane, Perez had not noticed Solari then either, so all the good things that are happening right now at Real Madrid are completely down to chance.

Solari, ladies and gentlemen, was invisible to the president, completely invisible.

Accept your role

Perhaps one of the Argentine's biggest strengths has been to simply accept his role. He knew that he was merely passing through in the position and had nothing to lose. He has seen what life is like for a Real Madrid coach under Florentino's stewardship, and has decided to simply work with the permanent feeling that his dismissal is imminent. This has allowed him to coach with no expectations extending past the next match, and once this match has been played the cycle starts once more with the Argentine assuming he will be dismissed, and he turns his focus to the next game.

Solari can move forward like Sisyphus and the boulder, he simply moves with any need for complacency. He doesn't mind isolating a star in Isco, or to leave Marcelo on the bench, or to choose to replace Gareth Bale with Vinicius Junior. He can make tactical decisions without fear, he chooses his system and it either works or it doesn't, he then changes accordingly. Following this path has seen the former Castilla coach gaining supporters, whilst he's also been able to matchup against his contemporaries.

The most recent was Diego Simeone, and in getting a victory more people are starting to take note of Solari, yet he's simply giving a lesson in how to take advantage of being the last possible choice. He's showing us how to be a Real Madrid coach that is merely passing through.

Atletico suffering from 'Decholoization'

Although the propaganda of Los Colchoneros has diverted attention towards the VAR decisions rather than their abject performance, what you cannot forgive at Atletico is that the club is entering a period of 'Decholoization'.

Los Rojiblancos can win or lose, but you cannot wilt, especially not when Barcelona give you a chance, or when Los Blancos are the visiting team. Two matches of failing to secure a victory has left Atleti in a difficult position. The team was soft in the derby, they were a shadow of the team they have been under the command of El Cholo in recent years.

If you lose that competitive fierceness that has epitomised the club of late then you are losing your identity. Atletico was a team that could either win or lose under Simeone, but they'd never play without intensity. Today, we're seeing something else.