Real Madrid: What Zinedine Zidane had to say after the 2-2 draw with Celta Vigo
By Ben Sundock
After a poor effort from his team in the second half leading to a 2-2 draw with Celta Vigo, here’s what Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane had to say after the match.
All quotes come via the Real Madrid official website.
Opening Statement
"“We didn’t perform in the second half, we didn’t play like we did in the first. We’ve not played for 90 minutes. We played very well in the first half and the second was a bit worse. I have to work out the problem because I’m responsible. Sometimes we play well for the full 90 minutes but lately, we aren’t doing it consistently. We’re not playing like we should be. We have to be more confident in our chances. We don’t have the confidence to play well for 90 minutes either.”“We have to analyze our performance in depth, we made a lot of mistakes. In the second half, we had a lot of turnovers which is not usually a problem for us. Playing out was a problem today. You have to really try to cause your opponent problems and it was the opposite today. We have to analyze it in depth, avoid making mistakes and play consistently. Despite this, we came up against an opponent that made things difficult for us in the second half.”"
On his player’s physical condition
“We are fine physically. When it comes to running, we run. The first half was very good. The second is not down to running. The second goal is a succession of errors. Then the opponent grows in confidence while you have your head down.”
“There’s still a long way to go. We can’t possibly be happy. Tomorrow is a new day and we’ll get back down to work and start thinking about our next games. It’s a long old season. We have to get back and take things day by day and try to produce consistent performances. We’re not going to start panicking, particularly not me as the one in charge of the team.”
Explaining why his team struggled in the second half
“Football doesn’t always work out how you think it might. At times there are periods when you struggle. It wasn’t a case that we played poorly throughout all of the second half, because we had the chances to have scored. However, there were things that we saw out there, particularly when it came to bringing the ball out from the back, that we don’t usually see from us. There’s no explication for these things. We’re going to try and address it and become more consistent.”
Why was president Florentino Perez in the locker room?
“He came down to the dressing room to give the players some encouragement, that’s all there is to it.”
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
Thoughts on the January window
“For the time being, I don’t want to bring anybody in. We’ll see what happens between now and 31 January. I’m happy with my squad.”
My thoughts
As I always say when recapping Zidane’s post-match press conferences, I feel like he spoke the truth and said what needed to be said. Especially in regards to the reason for his team struggling to close out matches in the second half.
I find it a bit odd someone would question the team’s physical condition coming out of one of the longest breaks the players will enjoy this season. While specific players like Isco and Luka Modric looked worn down in the second half, others like Casemiro and Ronaldo were still playing with great intensity.
I can’t tell what the problem is with the team’s overall play in the second half, but Zidane is right; he needs to address the problem and it is his responsibility to keep his team playing well over the course of 90 minutes.
Like he said after the Copa Del Rey match during the week, he doesn’t want to change the squad and buy players in the January window. I think this is incredibly stubborn and wrong of him to say.
It is clear that the play of last year’s team hasn’t and won’t translate to this year.
Change is needed. Teams in Spain and around Europe have shelled out the big bucks to upgrade and adapt their team while Real Madrid has not. Zidane needs to realize that.
Striker depth is needed as well as a possible formation change due to the leaky play of the midfield as of late.
I wouldn’t look into president Perez being in the locker room either because we have seen that Zizou trusts his coach and won’t be making any kind of change in the near future. That is, unless the struggles continue.
Next: Real Madrid player ratings from the 2-2 draw with Celta Vigo