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Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has led the team to a strong start, but it will get tougher in October.
At no point in the 2020-2021 La Liga season so far has Real Madrid been poor, but it hasn’t been convincing either. Another weak Barcelona team could help Los Blancos win a second straight title under the leadership of Zinedine Zidane, but the legendary French coach will take nothing for granted, especially with Atlético de Madrid and Sevilla building talented teams.
With the start of the Champions League and El Clásico campaign on the horizon at the end of the month, October is shaping up to be an important moment for Real Madrid. Let’s look at three tasks for Zidane this month.
Zinedine Zidane must fit Martin Odegaard at Real Madrid
Martin Odegaard has the potential to be a generational talent. We hear this word a lot, and I am often guilty of pronouncing it too lightly, like many others, largely due to my enthusiasm for young players.
But I think it’s appropriate to say that Odegaard has this potential. He was extraordinary for Real Sociedad last season, and even provided another one of those slide rule line breaking passes for an assist at the international half-time, wonderfully setting up Real Madrid’s long-term transfer target, Erling Haaland.
Odegaard started against the Society in Game 1 and played well, but has not been a regular player in the lineup for the first four games of the season. There’s a lot of competition in midfield, but I don’t think that, from an offensive perspective, there’s a player in Los Blancos with Odegaard’s defining ability in the final third. October will be a month for Zidane to find Odegaard’s niche.
Zinedine Zidane must face the situation of right back of Real Madrid
Álvaro Odriozola should be able to return relatively soon from his injury, but Dani Carvajal remains absent for a long time after suffering an MCL injury. Due to the lack of options for Real’s right back in 2019-2020, Carvajal ended up being one of the most important players on the team. In some cases, Real Madrid followed his form.
Odriozola gives Zinedine Zidane more options and flexibility than last season, and he is a very good attacking full-back even though he needs some defensive development. Ferland Mendy, it is not.
Until Odri returns and replaces Carvajal, Zidane must continue to weigh Lucas Vázquez and Nacho Fernández as options. Eder Militao’s own injury woes at the start of the season have curtailed a new emergency option for the coach.
Real Madrid need to start taking risks
Although Real Madrid have an “easier” game (as Mallorca showed us last October, there is no easy game in La Liga) against Cádiz, their second league game in October will be against Barcelona. And before that, Shakhtar Donetsk could be a similar match to Club Brugge for Los Blancos if they’re not careful.
The biggest problem I’ve had with Los Blancos so far this season is attack, but it’s not a common complaint. They have created many opportunities. The problem is that they have not been taken and Karim Benzema has been more guilty than anyone.
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Benzema scored against Levante very late to seal a tense match at 2-0. This month will have to be more clinical, because Donetsk, Cádiz and Barcelona may not give up as many opportunities as Real Betis, Real Valladolid and Levante.
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