Six games this season (five in the League and one in the Champions League) have been enough for Madrid hit rock bottom. The good news is that there is a Classic around the corner to change the dynamics. The bad news is that there are several elements that must be watched closely so that they do not become endemic for the future. The following are the main causes of such an early crisis. The two defeats against Cádiz and Shakthar put the entity in an extreme situation.
Zidane's ups and downs:
Their ups and downs in the initial eleven are not the best way to strengthen the dynamics of a team's game. Six games, six radically opposite lineups. In names and in the drawing. He has tried a Madrid with two forwards (Valladolid and Betis), with four midfielders and the 4-3-3. Something is failing if Madrid has only been able to win three of six games. Madrid still have the problem of the goal (only eight scored, and one of them was from a rival). He has a scoring average this season of 1.3 in favor when in Cristiano's last exercise it was 3.4. But it is that, in addition, he has lost his defensive strength, which was Zidane's trademark with which he won the last league. Of the 0.54 conceded on average in the last 11 games of the post-confinement championship (six goals in those 11 games) to sing the alirón, Madrid has gone on to receive 0.83 per game (five conceded in six games).
GABRIEL BOUYS (AFP)
Unrecoverable Players:
There are players that Zidane has bet on at this start to the season who are probably not even close to their best. There are three especially significant cases, those of Marcelo, Isco and Jovic. The Serbian player has already accumulated four games (three as a starter), 201 minutes and zero goals. Marcelo has been a starter in both defeats, and that adds up to a black statistic for him: in Zidane's second stage at the club, the white team lost in the League eight games of the 26 in which Marcelo started, but the data is much more relevant when he was not in the starting eleven: Madrid never lost. Regarding Isco, his participation statistics in Madrid have been dropping alarmingly. Those times when he started in two Champions League finals with Zidane are almost forgotten.
Insole without reinforcements:
Madrid is the only team of the greats of Europe that has not made signings. In Spain there has been much talk that Barça is in bankruptcy, but even so they sold for 126.5 million and bought for 124. In Atlético they sold for 72.8 and bought for 65.5. The case of Madrid has been different, perhaps thinking about the strategy of trying to sign Mbappé next summer or it may be conditioned by the loan of almost 600 million that he asked to reform the Bernabéu. The white entity, however, sold for almost 100 million euros (Achraf, Reguilón, Oscar Rodríguez), but has not signed anything.
They do not step forward:
In this situation of economic scarcity due to the coronavirus and the strategy of future signings, it was very important that young players with cache took a step forward to support the team … Of all, only Vinicius seems to be working (It is his third season). At least, today he is the top scorer of the team with three goals. They are being disappointing, however, Rodrygo, Militao and Asensio. The Mallorcan still needs more filming to have confidence in his game after the major knee injury, but it is also true that he was ready to play at the end of last season. As for Rodrygo (it cost 40 million euros), his match against Shakhtar portrayed him offensively and defensively. Vinicius's attitude when he left (in 14 seconds he stole and scored) left him in evidence with respect to the one he had had. And finally, Militao is giving one of lime and another of sand. Last season he was put in evidence against Betis just before the confinement. Then he fixed it after the restart but, before the Shakthar, he went back to his old ways.
AFP7 / Europa Press (Europa Press)
Wrong player starts:
The club has agreed to get rid of players who could be used for this interwar newspaper while Madrid rebuilds after Cristiano's departure. They are men who they did not count for Zidane, but it was also in the hands of the club to have insisted that they were the entity's heritage and that they had to get the best out of them. That is the job of a coach. There are cases like JamesFurthermore, according to what was said by the Banfield treasurer, they have not left a single euro in the box. Now he is one of the strong men of the Premier. Reguilón (sold to Tottenham), given Marcelo's form and his age (32), it could have been very necessary. How Achraf (sold to Inter) on the other side for the future. OR Ceballos (on loan to Arsenal) in the middle …
Without franchise player:
It is also bad luck, the strategy with Hazard was very successful. Madrid convinced the Belgian, waited for his moment, when he only had one year left on his contract, and signed the galactic who was just behind men like Messi, Cristiano, Neymar or Griezmann … He paid 100 million euros plus 40 in variables. And its reality in numbers, to date, is a drama: a goal in 22 games last season and unprecedented in this one. Madrid needed a lot from its reference, who should be the franchise player.