Valdebebas allowed
Real Madrid President Florentino Perez and coach Zinedine Zidane to meet face
to face for the first time since Kyiv and since the pressure surrounding Zidane
is huge.
Perez always had faith in Zidane,
but things are different now.
Real Madrid are in big trouble in
the Champions League.
The prestige of the historic club is
at stake.
The Group B of the Champions League
is nicely poised going into Matchday 6 next week. Real Madrid would host the
Group leaders Borussia Monchengladbach at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano while
Inter play Shakhtar in Milan.
If Real Madrid beat Borussia, they
would reach the Round of 16 as the Group leaders if Shakhtar don't beat Inter,
or as the runner-up, if the Ukrainians take the three points from Stadio
Giuseppe Meazza. If Real Madrid draw against Gladbach and Shakhtar are
defeated by Inter then they would enter the Round of 16 from second in the
group.
If Real Madrid lose to Gladbach and
Inter do not win and if Real Madrid draw against Gladbach and Shakhtar score
against Inter – the Los Blancos would feature in the Europa League.
If Real Madrid lose to Gladbach at
home and Inter beat Shakhtar in Milan, well, the Los Blancos would be out of
top-level of European competitions.
The most important thing is, Real
Madrid have to beat Borussia and it would be an extra-advantage if they
steamroll them at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium.
Given the status of the team at
present, a win against the Group leaders seem quite an uphill task and the
coach is facing the heat at the moment.
Back in the eventful season of
2015-16, it was Zidane who brought the lack-of-self-esteem Real Madrid unit
back on track and essayed a glorious phase in the history of the Los Blancos,
but those things are past and you are always judged by the results of present
and right now, Zidane in under a lot of pressure and facing the backlash of
fans and critics.
As soon as Cristiano Ronaldo left
Santiago Bernabeu back in the summer of 2018-19, Real Madrid tried and tested
with Lopetegui and Solari, but Florentino Perez convinced Zidane to return and
fix the problems. He shone in the next season by lifting the La Liga title even
though in the Champions League he was dismal.
The 2020-21 season has not been
easier for any teams in Europe due to COVID-19.
The schedules have been hectic,
which triggered injuries among the players and then there is that COVID-19
factor – teams were left to try their available options and finding the way
through has been the priority at the background of a sound tactic.
Teams like Liverpool, Bayern Munich,
Barcelona, Juventus or Manchester city have kept themselves going, but why the
fate of such a heavyweight team like Real Madrid is hanging on the balance
remains a moot question.
One cannot deny that Zidane made
mistakes.
He continued with the
underperformers, which cost Real Madrid heavily.
Marca stated, “Zidane's faith
in Marcelo is inversely proportional to his performances, with
statistics suggesting he is no longer adding anything to the team when he
plays.”
“Until Kyiv, the vice-captain had
been a key part of all Los Blancos' great moments with Zidane, however, he is
now in decline.”
“Isco has received less minutes
but is still playing poorly, whilst Lucas Vazquez has actually
responded to the confidence of the coach.”
But, Vazquez has been switched to so
many positions off-late, it has hampered his game badly and it was evident at
Kyiv, where he operated as a right-back in absence of the injured Dani
Carvajal. While against Inter, he was operating as the right-wing and gave a
very good game.
Zidane still has faith in Benzema
and the logic could be his brilliant 2019-20 season.
After the departure of Cristiano
Ronaldo, Zidane was given the option to fill the vacuum of the best player in
the world with Eden Hazard, Mariano Diaz and Luka Jovic. None of them could
deliver anything but proved a total waste, especially Hazard and Jovic.
Without a doubt, the above-mentioned
names delivered when it mattered, but at the same time, they wasted a lot of
clear-cut opportunities.
As for example in Kyiv, the Los
Blancos had four clear chances and none ended in a goal in the first half.
Madrid created the chances but failed with all. And so it is impossible to win.
Benzema’s six goals in the 12 games
he has featured in so far this season are not enough for the main striker of a
club like Real Madrid. He has slipped off the pace and it is having a negative
impact on the whole side.
It's not just in the goals
department that there is a concern. He simply doesn't look as comfortable as in
last season at this time he smashed 11 goals.
Benzema, in his defence, can point
to the injury problems he has faced this season which certainly have not helped
his cause.
Moreover, players like Vinicius
Junior and Rodrygo Goes have not received enough minutes to flourish and
deliver.
Rodrygo could be a very good centre
forward if given more minutes to play in that position with Asensio on the
right and Vini on the left.
Then comes the transfer requests, as
Marca stated, It's understood that Zidane repeatedly asked Florentino Perez to
buy Paul Pogba, but he never did, but there are also players whom he bet on who
he isn't confident in anymore. Luka Jovic is a prime example of that, whilst
Eden Hazard's fitness troubles have rendered his arrival in Madrid as a
non-event. Initially, Ferland Mendy also had to fight to win his place from
Marcelo, which in hindsight is ridiculous.”
The experimentation of Zidane has
not helped him at all.
Marca stated, “The constant changing
of players has been surprising, especially when compared to his first spell at
the helm.”
“In 2020 there hasn't been a
recognized best XI, and there are now more rotations of key players such
as Toni Kroos than there has ever been before.”
“His insistence on everyone getting
opportunities has surely been motivated by a constricted calendar, but it
hasn't worked.”
Tactically, Zidane has not come up
with something new when under pressure. Clearly, he relies on the players to do
it for him, but this cannot pull out a match every time. Not every day an
individual dishes out something extraordinary to change the course of the game
and for which, the tactical switch is always needed.
With the defence at sixes and sevens
and the likes of Casemiro and Fede Valverde not in action, he could have placed
a defender in that defensive midfield position to inject solidity and guard
during the transitions, which has been a nemesis for Madrid this season.
Again, if the defence is melting
under pressure then shun the idea of flying full-backs and apply four
centre-backs at the back to give the midfield and frontline more freedom.
Watching Toni Kroos dropping in between the defenders did not work well because
he is more of a playmaker rather than shielding the defence, where Varane is
having a nightmare right now.
Marca stated, “The French coach's
system has hardly changed since his arrival five years ago, he works in the
same manner in which he did when he won 11 titles, but logically the players
aren't the same so the results aren't either.”
“In the same way that football has
evolved in that time, Zidane's players and trusted lieutenants have gotten
older, and thus more focused tactical work is needed to produce a new style.”
Zidane has his flaws, but at the end
of the day, he is one who could drag Real Madrid out of this mess. He has done
it before as a player and coach.
No one expects a drastic change in
the middle of the season, but it’s better to found the way out from this mess
with the man, who has the experience, temperament and ability to steer ship
through the choppy waters.
The quickly Real Madrid and their
fans forget the nightmare in Kyiv, the better for them. The name Real Madrid is
heavy and has a lot of responsibilities towards the fans – right now, it seems,
they are shrinking, but still, there is hope and the Royal Whites and their
coach Zidane would not let the fans down easily.
Zidane has made tactical mistakes,
but still, there is no ideal replacement of the great man.
Keep the faith in Zidane!
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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