Why 2017-2018 will be Zidane’s toughest challenge at Real Madrid yet
By Alex McVey
Zinedine Zidane is entering his third season as Real Madrid’s manager. Here’s why it will be his toughest season yet.
Zinedine Zidane has won pretty much everything there is to win at Real Madrid. Bar the Copa del Rey, he has won every possible competition he could win. Most coaches will never even get to compete for a Champions League trophy, but Zidane won two back-to-back his first two seasons as a coach.
At this point, Zidane has nearly as many trophies (six) to his name as he does losses (seven). That’s an absolutely bonkers statistic that highlights just how much Zidane has brought to this team in his short time at the club.
RM under Zidane:
— Real Madrid Stats (@RMadrid_Stats) August 9, 2017
Titles: 6
Games: 88
Wins: 67
Draws: 14
Losses: 7
Clean Sheets: 24
Goals For: 247
Goals Against: 91
Goal Difference: +156 pic.twitter.com/zGbj6Wencu
It is precisely because Zidane has been flying so high, that this upcoming season will be his most difficult one as a Real Madrid coach yet.
The expectations Zidane faces are now sky high. Real Madrid won the League and European Cup double. Their sights now have to be set on the long elusive treble. Social media has been buzzing with questions about whether Madrid could join the exclusive list of clubs who have won a European treble (the domestic league, league cup, and European Cup titles). When Luis Enrique won the treble with Barcelona in his first season as manager, Barcelona became the first European club to win a second treble.
Zidane already smashed records at Madrid by helping Los Blancos become the first team to repeat Champions League victories in the history of the modern competition. But Madrid fans are fickle and demanding, and the treble will continue to linger as an ever-present goal.
By setting the bar high, Zidane ramped up the pressure on himself and on the Real Madrid players. If things begin to go wrong, or if Madrid starts to stumble, Zidane could find himself with a squad crumbling under out of control expectations.
More from The Real Champs
- The Xabi Factor: What Alonso could bring to Real Madrid as manager
- Manchester City hold talks over Real Madrid target
- Real Madrid player confirms he is playing with a fracture
- Real Madrid superstar rejected Premier League clubs confirmed
- Spaniard ready to join Real Madrid instead of Liverpool
There are also psychological factors that will weigh heavily on Madrid’s season. When teams experience great success, they risk knock-on psychological side effects. Players who have experienced recent accolades can easily become complacent, causing them to lose the edge and sharpness which brought them their initial success.
Zidane will also have to continue his balancing act of ensuring key players get the minutes that will keep them happy while also being able to develop youngsters. It helps that Real Madrid offloaded James Rodriguez and Alvaro Morata this summer, but the addition of Ceballos and Marclos Llorente still creates a crowded midfield squad roster. Zidane will need to ensure to continue his rotation policy if he wants to keep all of these players happy and avoid off the pitch distractions.
Winning the Champions League two years in a row also means the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup two years in a row. Add to that the pre-season tour in the United States, and Real Madrid players have not gotten much of a break for the past two summers. The exhaustion that comes from going deep in the Champions League and fighting for the league until the last day may also begin to catch up with Zidane’s squad.
That’s not to say that Zidane and his team can’t rise to the occasion. Real Madrid have defied all the expectations put on them thus far. But this season is by far Zidane’s toughest challenge yet.
Next: Isco says he's close to a new deal at Real Madrid