Zidane plays it on 9-D

De among all the coaches that Florentino Pérez has had, there is no doubt that Zidane has been the one who has reported the most satisfaction to the president of Madrid: three Champions League, two Leagues and another six titles for a total of 11 (only Miguel Muñoz surpasses him in white history, with 14). However, having filled the showcases of the Bernabéu does not exempt the Marseille coach from the bitter pill produced by the bad results, increasingly frequent in the White House: three losses, one draw and one win in the last five games.

Of special relevance has been the last stick, received from the hands of a Shakhtar who has stolen all six points from Madrid and that leaves the whites in a compromised situation in the Champions League, practically forced to beat Borussia Mönchengladbach in Valdebebas next Wednesday. And Zidane can be grateful to his former teammate Antonio Conte, Inter coach, as the Italian victory in Germany gave oxygen to Madrid, which now depends on itself to be in the round of 16. Zizou's future depends on what happens that day. The visit to Seville on Saturday will never be final.

At Real Madrid they deny this newspaper the status of being questioned by Zidane; nor would he be the first coach to be dismissed shortly after being ratified. But what would really push the club to take the most difficult exit would be the historical perspective of a hypothetical elimination from the Champions League: Since the competition expanded its quota of participants beyond 16 teams and several clubs from the same country were allowed to enter, Madrid have never been eliminated in the group stage. There are 23 consecutive editions with white presence in the round of 16 (either in knockout stages or in the round of 16 group stage format that UEFA introduced in four editions, between 1999-00 and 2002-03).

23-year Champions League streak

In the current circumstances, the range of options for Madrid in the Champions League is very wide: it can be first, second, go to the Europa League (unknown competition for whites; the last time they played in the UEFA Cup, the germ of the current tournament, was in 1994-95, eliminated by the Danish Odense at the Bernabéu) or finish fourth, punished without further Europe this season. Only the first two options guarantee the continuity of Zidane; the last two certify the end of its second stage. The club would see it humiliating to play the Europa League …

It was he himself who nipped the first after lifting the third consecutive Champions League, in June 2018; in Madrid they do not rule out that the Frenchman already meditates doing the same in the summer of 2021, in view of the fact that his speech is less and less in the dressing room. In recent weeks he has combined debatable decisions (he reserved Casemiro in Ukraine), notorious anger from some players (Isco, who has asked to leave, joked with how little he has) and a tense air in press conferences until now unknown. In another time, Zizou's endless smile and victories covered everything; Now, with more punctures (eight: five defeats and three draws) than triumphs (seven), the technician begins to feel his feet sinking into the mud …