Real Madrid: Firing Zidane after el Clásico would be a mistake

Real Madrid got embarrassed by their rivals Barcelona in a 3-0 defeat in El Clásico at the Bernabéu. Since then, the knives have been sharpened for Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane, with speculations arising that his job security might be in jeopardy. Here’s why firing Zidane after the El Clásico defeat would be a terrible mistake.

The Swords are Sharpened

There is no hotter seat in world football than the manager’s chair at Real Madrid. Following his unceremonious departure from Real Madrid after just half a season, Rafa Benitez had this to say about the expectations of perfection at Madrid:

"You have to do everything perfect. As soon as something is wrong or the chairman thinks that it’s wrong then you’re used to having problems… I think that we were quite good, as I said before… I think that we could do really well but they were a little bit nervous and the fans were a little bit nervous and the chairman was a little bit nervous then they change the manager."

And nothing can put a Madrid manager’s job in jeopardy like an embarrassing loss in El Clásico. Real Madrid fans hate losing to FC Barcelona, and when it happens like it did on Saturday, Madridistas and the Madrid sports press tend to look for a scapegoat, with the manager typically the most likely target.

Sure enough, following Real Madrid’s defeat to Barcelona, the already nascent calls for Zidane to be sacked have started to grow louder. The La Liga title is, for all intents and purposes, now fully out of Real Madrid’s grasp. The threat of a trophy-less season now looms over Zidane’s head. Zidane now has plenty of reasons to start worrying about his job security, as Reuben Pinder writes:

"He might be Zizou, he might have won back to back Champions Leagues, but he has often relied on moments of individual genius and a deep squad which was thinned out over the summer. Now, his flaws are being exposed, and he should be worried. Perez rarely hesitates before dismissing a coach he deems to be failing."

There have also been increasing calls on Real Madrid twitter for the manager to lose his job. Here’s just a small sampling of fans online who think Zizou should go:

I think you get the point. Madrid fans are angry, and rightfully so. What they saw against FC Barcelona on Saturday was not good enough, and the manager rightfully should shoulder a significant amount of blame for the loss.

There are plenty of legitimate criticisms of Zidane to be had. He is relatively inexperienced. He often demonstrates a level of tactical simplicity that borders on naïveté. He shows an overwhelming degree of faith in players who may not deserve to remain on the pitch, like Benzema. He seems to have trouble instituting tactical changes in matches that don’t revolve around throwing a bunch of attackers on to chase a goal.

But even with all of that said, calling for Zidane’s job after the El Clásico loss is a punishment that doesn’t fit the crime. Zidane has some things to figure out, but there’s no reason to think he can’t make the necessary adjustments.

All we are saying, is give Zidane a chance

If Real Madrid want to go about the process of creating a dynasty with this particular incarnation of the team, the incarnation that won the double last season, that has now won five trophies in a calendar year, that has become the first team to win back-to-back Champions Leagues in the modern era, firing the coach after a trophy-less season would be a mistake.

The Zidane haters seem to think that Zidane won all those trophies through dumb-luck, being in the right place at the right time. While all Championships necessarily involve a degree of luck, this overlooks everything that Zidane did right during his tenure. Zidane managed to carefully balance a squad of super-stars and canteranos, all while massaging the gigantic egos in Madrid’s squad room, and figuring out a series of tactical setups that would make it all fit together.

To say that Zidane’s past success is due to luck ignores that Zidane demonstrated a degree of tactical flexibility and willingness to change over the course of his two seasons that indicates the possibility for further growth. The Madrid of Spring 2017 was much different than the Madrid of Spring 2016, despite both being Champions League winning sides. There’s no reason that Madrid of Spring 2018 won’t be even more different, even if there are some growing pains between then and now.

Real Madrid are now in an awkward phase where their super-stars from the past generation are getting older. Zidane’s ability to manage both seasoned veterans and untested youth makes him the perfect manager to help guide Madrid through this phase.

Real Madrid’s transfer business this summer seemed to indicate a shift in philosophy, a movement away from radical squad disruption and towards continuity. As I wrote recently, Madrid may have moved too far in the direction of continuity, at the expense of bringing in new players who could breathe new life into a team that has become content with their position at the top of World Football.

But it would be a mistake to let the pendulum swing too far back in the other direction. The idea that Madrid’s current problems justify sacking him is indicative of some broader cultural problems at Real Madrid. Madrid fans and the club leadership are both incredibly fickle; they change with the wind, and often make brash, impulsive decisions. They demand instant gratification, and when things go wrong for a few months, or even for a few weeks, they believe drastic changes will solve their problems.

Zidane has proved his mettle at Real Madrid. He has also earned the right to try to correct course at Real Madrid. There is something to be said about giving managers the space to make mistakes, even at a club with the astronomical demands of Real Madrid.

TINA (There Is No Alternative)

There is also the small issue of finding an adequate replacement. Madridistas who are quick to call for Zidane’s sacking today may find out that the new boss is just like the old boss, facing the same problems, and subject to the same abuse.

Real Madrid also have the unique problem of having already cycled through some of the best managers in World Football. Carlo Ancelotti is out of a job, but what sense would it make to bring him back to replace the manager who replaced the manager who replaced him?

Other popular candidates include Thomas Tuchel, the former boss of Borussia Dortmund.

Tuchel certainly did some impressive things with the Borussia Dortmund squad, but let’s not forget that he himself was fired because Dortmund thought that the results weren’t good enough.

More from The Real Champs

• 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
• PSG want €100 million Real Madrid player to replace Kylian Mbappe

There is a certain paradox surrounding available coaches during the middle of the season. Most coaches who are good enough for the job already have jobs, and are thus not available. Most coaches who are available for the job just got fired from some other job because their results weren’t good enough. So why would they be good enough for Real Madrid?

The allure of coaching Real Madrid is grand enough that Madrid could certainly attract a strong candidate, but would any of them actually be better than Zidane? Would any guarantee a solution to the problems Zidane is currently experiencing? Could they manage the egos, stay cool under the bright lights, and avoid conflict with the press the way that Zidane has?

Perhaps. But none of these outcomes are guaranteed. If Zidane is let go, Real Madrid might be making the perfect the enemy of the good. Real Madrid fans could find themselves out of the frying pan and into the fire, with a manager experiencing all of the same problems and a very short amount of time to fix them.

In Conclusion

Real Madrid fans need to learn a bit of patience. It’s understandable to want to look for solutions after a disappointing loss to a rival.

But firing Zidane, as many have called for, would be a mistake. It would sacrifice everything that Zidane has helped build up to this point, all in the name of chasing a perfect solution which probably doesn’t exist.

Zinedine Zidane needs to be given an opportunity to right the ship. Real Madrid have worked their way out of tough spots before. They can do it again. And for now, Zizou is the right man to help them on their way.

Next: Real Madrid's players react to the loss against Barcelona

Stay tuned to The Real Champs for more Real Madrid coverage.