BEVERLY HILLS, January 21, (THEWILL) – It has been a tough season in general and a tough six days in particular for Zinedine Zidane, the very well respected manager of La Liga champions Real Madrid.
At some point in the October-November span of domestic and European fixtures when Madrid were defeated in games they ordinarily were expected to win such as home losses to newly promoted Cadiz in La Liga and to Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk in Europe, it appeared Zidane’s latest stint at the Bernabéu was near an end.
A coronavirus outbreak in Madrid’s camp saw a couple of players like Eden Hazard and Casemiro miss a trip to Valencia where Real were walloped 4-1 while injuries limited Zidane’s options in a 2-1 defeat to Deportivo Alaves.
But, when it seemed there was no hope, Real shrugged off the bad results and with Karim Benzema firing on all cylinders, a December rejuvenation brought something of the winnings Madrid was known for back. They even beat current league leaders, their neighbours, Atletico Madrid 2-0 to end the latter’s unbeaten streak this season.
Yet, just as fans were beginning to get comfortable with Real’s resurgence and the winning run, as it often happens in football, suddenly it appears as if the era of Zidane’s dominance of Spanish football at Real Madrid is coming to an end, again. Two back-to-back losses in Cup competitions with the most recent one against a relatively less challenging opponent have not done his continued stay in the Spanish capital as coach much good.
For now, there is an uncharacteristic hesitation from the hierarchy at the Santiago Bernabeu to make the sort of drastic calls they are famous for and fire the manager right away. They seem prepared to see out the pandemic season before pulling the trigger so that they can enter next season with a fresh face and fresh enthusiasm.
On paper, Madrid still has the wherewithal and chance to go on and win La Liga, just as they can progress through the knockout stages to Champions League glory, but, in the reality of how they have played this season, both prospects are sincerely far-fetched.
What makes this clearer is Madrid’s ouster from the Copa del Rey on Wednesday night. Not only was Real defeated by a third-tier side, but Alcoyano pulled off their greatest ever victory by scoring a goal against Real after they had been reduced to 10-men by a red card against midfielder Ramon Lopez which they held on to effectively knock Zidane out of a competition he has neither won as a player nor as a coach.
There is a lot Zidane has achieved for the Spanish giants and it is nothing to trifle with. No other coach can boast of ever defending a Champions League win but Zidane did, twice. Yet, despite his success, in Madrid, he remains subject to results and the general vibe in the squad and Madrid’s current performance hints at a lack of confidence or of inspiration or of both.
In truth, the players who featured in the defeat were primarily secondary, many of whom get very little playing minutes in La Liga, but it is still a Madrid loss. Coupled with their defeat in the semi-final of the Supercopa de Espana last week against Athletic Bilbao, the disappointments are hard pills to swallow at the Bernabéu.
ALSO READ: Benzema Double Against Monchengladbach Enough For Real Madrid And Zidane
The management’s read of these types of results at Madrid is very straightforward. They believe it is because the players no longer have the same confidence and relationship with the coach as they did in the past. And, they believe it is up to them to intervene to bring about a change of circumstances and by so doing bring back a winning mentality to the club.
Will they continue to wait for the season to end before doing that or will they be forced, if results continue to slide, to act beforehand or will Zidane’s magic be rekindled afresh to lead Madrid once more to the glory of trophy-lifting?
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
