The Real Champs
Fansided

Real Madrid prepare to play in the Audi Cup

By Ali Al Hassan

(L-R) Luka Modric of Real Madrid, Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur during the AUDI Cup match between Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur on August 4, 2015 at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)
(L-R) Luka Modric of Real Madrid, Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur during the AUDI Cup match between Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur on August 4, 2015 at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Real Madrid have returned from an extremely disappointing friendly tour in the United States as they lost against Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid while they were able to beat Arsenal on penalties in the International Champions Cup. Now, they find themselves in the semi-finals of the Audi Cup where they will take on Tottenham Hotspur.

Even though it’s still preseason, that has not been an excuse for anyone as social media erupted against Real Madrid and particularly Zinedine Zidane after their shocking 7-3 loss to Atletico Madrid while the manager has other more important matters to think about. Marco Asensio is set to miss most (if not all) of the upcoming season with an ACL injury while Luka Jovic, Mariano Diaz and Ferland Mendy find themselves on the injury list and could miss the start of the campaign. That is a massive worry for Zidane as he was hoping to have the full squad ready during their first La Liga match.

Zinedine Zidane of Real Madrid
LANDOVER, MD – JULY 23: Zinedine Zidane head coach of Real Madrid CF gives instruction on the sidelines while Ferland Mendy #23 of Real Madrid during the International Champions Cup Friendly match between Arsenal F.C. and Real Madrid C.F. The match was held at FedEx Field on July 23, 2019 in Landover, MD, USA. The match ended in a tie in regulation play of 2 to 2. Real Madrid won the match in penalty kicks 3 to 2. (Photo by Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images) /

Looking forward, the team will now prepare to play against Tottenham and many will be expecting a little less experimentation from the manager as he plays the starters and doesn’t play the “kids” as often. Having said that, some experiments will be required. Real Madrid will play Tottenham on July 30 while they’ll play the next match only one day later. If they win, they’ll play the winner of Bayern Munich VS Fenerbahce and if they lose, then they’ll still have a match in the form of the third place play-off.

Next. Who could fill in for Marco Asensio on the wing?. dark

With Asensio missing for the next 7-9 months, Zidane will need to see what could work best on the wings. Lucas Vazquez, Kubo, Vinicius and Rodrygo are all options but other than Vazquez, the others are quite inexperienced. Kubo and Rodrygo will reportedly be part of the Castilla squad and Vinicius is still learning despite some brilliant performances last season.

Having said that, Zidane will need to come out with some convincing performances or else he’ll start the season with a massive Real Madrid fanbase already against him. Even though preseason matches are forgotten about once the season officially begins, it won’t be good for any manager to head into the season with extra pressure on his shoulders.

We should also remember that this is a manager who has decided to return and runs the risk of tainting his reputation which will mean two things: First of all, he knows what he’s getting himself into and believes in his abilities enough to know that this is a project that he can take on. Secondly, he understands the demands of the Madridistas and even though the preseason matches have not gone as planned, he has a vision in mind.

My take on the matter is that no matter how the Audi Cup ends, let’s not overreact and let’s give the manager a chance to prove himself where it matters. Once the league campaign begins, that’s when the true test starts and that would be when we can fairly judge whether Zidane has actually found ways to improve this team or are there many gaps that the Frenchman simply could not cover. Until then, we should enjoy watching our team play and try out difference tactics before the season officially begins with the stress and emotions that naturally come with it.

Home/Analysis