Julen Lopetegui made several controversial decisions. Surprisingly, he didn't trust Lucas Vazquez enough even though the Spaniard is a renowned assist provider. The midfielder was only introduced in the later stages of the matches during the Basque's tenure and got seemingly unhappy with the amount of the playing time he was receiving.
Everything has changed since Santiago Solari's arrival. Lucas has now featured in ten out of total thirteen matches under the Argentinean and played the full 90 minutes in seven games. The 27-year-old is a preferred option in the midfield rather than Isco who has started just one game under the new manager.
Vazquez's contribution both in attack and in defence proved to be vital for Santiago Solari's system, providing the long-sought balance.
The Club World Cup has only further reinforced the winger's position as a now-vital member of Real Madrid squad, Marca claim. Vazquez started both clashes in the competition, playing 68 minutes against Kashima Antlers and 84 minutes against Al Ain.
As the player himself said on the change of his personal situation: "The fact that the coach also has confidence in me is nice. He's giving me opportunities and I try to repay his confidence each week with hard work."
In a rather unlikely turn of events, the 27-year-old has proved to be one of the best signings of Real Madrid's recent history, having been resigned from Espanyol just for one million euros in 2015.
Since that moment, Vazquez hasn't turned back being one of the key players for the three consecutive Champions League titles, especially when he scored a penalty in the shootout in 2016 final and in the 2017/18 quarter-finals when he won the spot kick that allowed Los Blancos to knock-out Juventus.
