After two seasons premature fall in the round of 16, the Real Madrid returns to its habitat: it is one of the four teams classified for the semifinals of the Champions League, along with Chelsea, PSG and Manchester City. In the next round awaits the London club, less used to these instances, but very dangerous since Thomas tuchel he took over his bench. In Liverpool, Madrid proudly defended the 3-1 harvested in the first leg of Valdebebas and, with a 0-0 enough to pass the round, got a ticket for the semifinals.
A new hit for the white team in Europe, the territory in which the Madrid club always measured its greatness: it has nine of the last eleven semi-finals, reaching the final four times and lifting the qualification those four times. The goalless draw at Anfield shared the credit among a few proper names: Courtois supported Madrid with his stops, Valverde copper was beaten as an improvised side, Modric oxygenated the midfield … But if this go to the semifinals claim to someone, is to Zidane, the quiet man who for more than two months he lost his usual calm to ask for respect for Madrid and not to be buried so soon. Now, Madrid is among the four best in Europe and fully involved in the fight for the League. Zidane has done it again.
Cool head … but not always
The day-to-day monitoring of Real Madrid's activity draws an impassive coach halo around Zidane. Does not alter, neither in good nor in bad; an image made it clear that went viral during Liverpool-Madrid, in which Klopp and Casemiro faced each other after a hard tackle from the Brazilian and, in an atmosphere of pure tension, in the background Zizou with a smile from ear to ear. That cool head, with a profile very similar to other coaches who made a career at Madrid (Molowny, Del Bosque, Ancelotti …), has allowed him weather successive storms that hit the merengue team season after season. Although in early February, after Madrid's last defeat this season (1-2 against Levante in Valdebebas), Zidane raised his voice.
“I'm not going to give it up, and neither are the players. We deserve to finish this season. Next year the League will be won by us, Real Madrid. We have the right to fight for this League, let us fight it. We won the league last year, uh, not ten years ago. You have to respect the people who work a little. ” Your message After the defeat against Levante and before meeting Huesca, Zidane made a fiery defense of his squad and asked for confidence in his possibilities. Today, two and a half months later, said claim has been proven deserved: eleven wins and three draws in the last 14 games.
Tactical variety
Other issues that often haunt Zidane is the sanmbenito that he is a coach without too much tactical background, a good aligner with the ability to handle locker room egos, largely thanks to his past in the world of football, but below others with a more scientific approach to the profession. The Titles have been the best antidote Against those considerations, but this season Zidane is also showing a lot of ease when it comes to varying the systems to get the best performance from the team.
Zidane and Klopp, at Anfield.
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He started the course with a 4-4-2 in rhombus, with two points; then he returned to the classic 4-3-3, the base with which you have achieved many of his triumphs in Madrid; and in the last two months it has gone entering a 5-3-2 with two lanes and three centrals with which to strengthen the team in defense against the multiple casualties and also take out the Marcelo's last drops of talent, one of the pillars of Madrid in the four Champions League in five years to which the seams in defense give away, but which continues to generate offensive chemistry at the top. Against Liverpool he pulled Valverde as a right back (his trust in Odriozola is null) and focused, throughout the tie, in preventing those of Klopp from overflowing Madrid on the outside with their very long sides; that's where the white presence began to be forged in the semifinals of the European Cup.
In love with the Champions
What Madrid coach, Zidane has won two Leagues, two Club World Cups, two European Super Cups, two Spanish Super Cups …, but If something defines his relationship with the white club, it is the Champions League: three titles as a coach, to which to add another as second to Ancelotti and another as a player, with lovely volley included. His records in the European Cup as first coach do not admit too much discussion: he has won in ten of eleven heats in what has participated (He only fell in the round of 16 against City in 2019-20) and has prevailed in the three finals. This course has already taken down Atalanta and Liverpool; now Chelsea is coming, in the run-up to the Lisbon final, in which he would seek his 12th title with Madrid in less than five years.
Without excuses
The First season whole in pandemic promised to be moved for the coaches and it certainly has been for Real Madrid, whose Nursing It has not stopped working since the beginning of the preparation, back in August 2020. Madrid has had to get by without Ramos at various times, without Hazard in many others, Carvajal has barely been able to play, Lucas was the last to fall and not returnto play this season … Physical problems were in many moments in the closet of Madrid and Zidane, that he had to pull homegrown players To complete many calls (of all of them, he has shown a predilection for the Arribas midfielder), he never raised his voice to justify bad results due to the lack of troops.
He did call for a reflection at one point within the club to stop the bleeding: “I do not understand about the injuries, they are not due to bad luck. I am worried.” This reflection has come to fruition, as the white infirmary It is gone emptying gradually, although he cannot do it completely: there are still Carvajal (in the last stretch of his recovery), Ramos (he will return at the beginning of May) and Lucas Vázquez. And it remains to be seen if there are no new entries, after the Clásico Zidane has already warned that the players are “on edge”; For now, the Marseillais manages to keep the wheel turning, regardless of who is available to push him.
Faith without (almost) limits
The last two months have allowed to see the Recovery and the rise of multiple players who had lost a lot of weight at Madrid and now enjoy a leading role. Vinicius is the most obvious case: Madrid have reached the semifinals thanks largely to their two goals in the first leg in Valdebebas against Liverpool; Zidane was never passionate about the Brazilian, showing much more predilection for Rodrygo in comparison, but the vini performance In the past weeks, he has left Zizou with no choice but to indulge in the extreme. With great results so far.
On defense, he converted to a Lucas Vazquez that he did not have too much room up on a side of guarantees and he drew a future for him at the time when the Galician needed him most, months after his contract ended at Madrid (without renewal for now). Without Ramos or Varane, he had no choice but fully trust Nacho and Militao, and both responded with note: impeccable against Liverpool, twice, and Barcelona. And there it is too Asensio, to whom he prescribed a brief step on the bench and achieved the expected reaction: four goals in four consecutive games.
It has not been like that with everyone, of course: some players keep just faith and necessary and only pull them if you have no choice, like Odriozola or Mariano. Others looked so lacking in affection from the coach that they preferred to leave in January to look for greener pastures, such as Jovic and Odegaard. But in general, the feeling of integration in the dynamics of the white team is total within the dressing room, as shown by the inclusion in several of Isco's last matches as a revulsive; the man from Malaga, after months of disappearance, pops his head out.