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The Frenchman is under intense pressure after a poor run of results in La Liga and Europe, but he still has many sponsors at the Bernabéu
When times are good at Real Madrid, they are very, very good. And when they are bad, they are horrible. Zinedine Zidane has lived it all, throughout his two terms as a coach.
That’s why he remains as cool as ice, rejecting questions about his possible resignation and stating that the team can get back on the winning track, that they are capable of pulling results out of the bag in a week that will define their season.
Real Madrid visit Sevilla on Saturday in La Liga before hosting Borussia Mönchengladbach on Wednesday in the Champions League and then hosting Atlético de Madrid in a derby on December 12.
Anything other than the victory against the German team could see Madrid leave Europe in the group stage for the first time in their history. And the situation in La Liga could quickly turn ugly.
While their staunch rival Barcelona are enjoying a rebound, Madrid’s last three games have been beaten by Alavés and Valencia and drawn against Villarreal, who were lucky not to lose.
Consequently, Zidane’s men are in fourth place, seven points behind Real Sociedad, leaders of the league, and six behind Atlético, second-placed, who have played one game less.
The squad has been affected by injuries and several cases of coronavirus, as well as the economic impact of the pandemic, which saw them unable to strengthen themselves in the summer. The return of the loan of Martín Odegaard and Álvaro Odriozola was as exciting as it was for a club known for signing the ‘Galacticos’.
The bad news is that Sergio Ramos and Dani Carvajal will not return from injury to face Sevilla at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, leaving Madrid’s defense exposed, although both hope to return for the decisive Gladbach clash.
Zidane went head-to-head with Florentino Pérez on Thursday morning, for the first time since the loss in Kiev to Shakhtar, and the pair saluted with a punch.
Their relationship has not been broken, but that does not mean that the president will not wield the ax if Madrid’s results do not match his ambitions in the next week.
The French coach is well aware that Madrid coaches are bitten and changed as new kits are released, even stating in press conferences that their time is running out.
However, Zidane is still respected by most of Madrid’s players and Captain Ramos spoke with his teammates at a meeting Thursday to rally the troops.
“We are one victory away from passing the Champions League, it is in our hands and we have to give everything. This is Real Madrid, gentlemen. Together, we have come out of worse ”, said, according to AS.
However, Madrid is not as daunting a prospect as it used to be in Europe. Zidane’s three consecutive Champions League victories are forgotten, after successive eliminations in the round of 16, against Ajax and Manchester City.
However, given that no new players were allowed in the summer, and Madrid have never effectively replaced Cristiano Ronaldo with 50 goals per season, Zidane’s conscience is relatively clean and more importantly, he retains a lot of support. .
“He is the man who has the key to lift Real Madrid,” said former Los Blancos defender Christian Karembeu Radio Brand. “Right now, he’s in trouble, but I know he will respond quickly on the field with wins. He’s a winner and winners don’t quit. “
Zidane has said so, although the hefty reward he would receive in the event of his dismissal could be a factor in his thinking, with rumors that Madrid are already considering former Tottenham coach Mauricio Pochettino and club legend Raúl González as possible successors. . .
“Zizou is a magnificent coach, a good friend and he will do everything possible to put Madrid in the best possible position,” said former Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas at the AS awards gala on Thursday. “You cannot live in the past, but he has earned the right to lead Madrid.”
However, the easiest and historically most likely solution for Madrid would be to change managers. It is economically impossible to reform the squad at the moment and few would defend Zidane from a tactical point of view.
He has rotated a lot, partly because of the compressed schedule, but also partly because he doesn’t trust many of the players at his disposal. Some, like Eden Hazard and Luka Jovic, seem to be in a cycle of injuries and absences, while others, like Isco and Marcelo, are far from their best and may never reach it again.
None of Rodrygo Goes, Vinicius Junior, Marco Asensio or Lucas Vázquez have had a consistent run on the team, with Zidane constantly chasing something he cannot comprehend.
The coach has previously shown that his great strength is locker room control and he did wonderfully well in inspiring the team to fight their way to last season’s league title.
The football they played was boring but diligent, and enough to keep a faltering Barcelona at bay. But it won’t work for a whole season. That kind of focus and effort is impossible to maintain in the long run.
However, what about more than a week? Madrid could dig deep and produce three great results to keep Zidane in place. They have the ability to beat Sevilla, Gladbach and Atlético, but the question is: do they want to fight for their coach again?
And even if they do, how long can they go on like this? Unless Madrid’s underlying problems are addressed, Zidane is likely to be left only two or three results away from the next crisis.
