Real Madrid are close to a La Liga title, but they will not be complacent.
Zinedine Zidane has been an immediate lift for Real Madrid in his second stint as the prestigious club’s manager. The French legend has Real on the cusp of a La Liga title, though they arguably should have been further ahead in the race, given Barcelona’s struggles in 2019-2020.
Los Blancos have improved greatly from their struggles in 2018-2019, but they are still far from the finished product in their “Revolution”. They are, for example, behind in their Champions League Round of 16 tie with Manchester City. Their standard is to win this competition, as Zidane did so three straight times before stepping down in 2018.
There are still ways Zidane can both improve his own management skills, the players on the team, and the Real Madrid squad as a whole. Los Merengues should be able to compete for Champions League titles soon enough; it is tweaks and not necessarily large-scale changes that are most needed for Real.
Here are three short and long-term aspects of the team that Zidane can still build upon, knowing that he’s already done a successful job of navigating Los Blancos’ rebuild after Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure to Juventus.
Earlier substitutions
Although this may seem like a minor aspect of team development, it can have a significant impact in the scope of an entire season. For example, league titles can often be decided by one point or one slip (yes, that was a Liverpool joke). A well-timed substitution can change everything, so a manager consistently wasting time before making an inevitable change could cost points in the long run. And those points could cost a title.
Real Madrid are in a better long-term situation than Barcelona when looking at finances, organizational stability, and youth development. But Real can never overlook Barcelona, nor can they overlook their improving competition in Europe.
There are so many times where Zidane waits until the last 10 minutes to make changes that he clearly should have made before the 70th minute, whether it’s a change to the attack or midfield. One of the few times he made an early change, Vinicius Junior completely changed the complexion of the game and created a goal that ended up being the winner in El Derbi.
Or how about the times Marco Asensio, Luka Jovic, Rodrygo Goes, and Mariano Diaz have scored off the bench?
Imagine the points Real Madrid could have recovered in other matches if Zidane had been more proactive with his subs. Those young players would have received more minutes and more chances to score. (Thinking of Jovic here.)
Even with five substitutions now allowed during COVID-19 to help manage the smaller breaks between matches, Zidane is still waiting too long to make changes. That’s a tactical area Zidane can directly impact.
Recruiting Kylian Mbappe and Eduardo Camavinga
Real Madrid have two key areas of need over the long term. Firstly, they need to sign a superstar attacker who can score goals. Secondly, they need to sign a backup defensive midfielder for Casemiro who can eventually succeed him at the position.
The two best players for both roles are Kylian Mbappe and Eduardo Camavinga. They are probably the two best young players in the entire world, having set Ligue 1 on fire in 2019-2020 before the league ended its season.
Mbappe has been a long-time target for Real. There seems to be a great deal of mutual interest, partly because of Zinedine Zidane and partly because of Real’s legacy of superstars. At Real, Mbappe would have a new challenge in the league, and his star would grow. He’s become too big for PSG.
Camavinga also seems to view Real as his dream destination, with plenty of interest in being coached by Zidane. There isn’t a teenager – not even fellow Real Madrid target Erling Haaland – with Camavinga’s ability. He is already a superstar player and one of the best defensive midfielders in Europe, though he can also play as a box-to-box midfielder with his ball-carrying ability.
Real Madrid have young prospects, but they need to target young players who can shine now and be global superstars. Mbappe and Camavinga fit the bill. Real need to spend wisely with big transfers, and these two men are worth their price tags.
Unlocking Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes
There are so many wonderful young players on Real Madrid, including those out on loan like Takefusa Kubo at Mallorca. But the two players under the age of 21 who can truly be global superstars at the forward positions – and thus carry Real in Champions League knockout stage matches and as a global brand off the pitch – are Vinicius Junior and Rodryo Goes.
Already, Vinicius and Rodrygo are impressive wide forwards. In 2020, Vinicius has been one of Real’s best players. He single-handedly changed the tide of the game against Atletico Madrid, was the most important player on the pitch one month later in another big win over Barcelona, and then was the best player on the pitch in a must-win match to obtain revenge over Real Sociedad.
Rodrygo is in his first season at Real Madrid, and while he’s still developing, he is intelligent beyond any right winger of his age. Except, well, he’s better on the left, which goes to show how versatile and adaptable he is. The man scored the second-fastest debut goal in Los Blancos history, hit a perfect hat trick against Galatasaray, and had more goals and assists per 90 minutes (minus penalties) than any player before the restart, per FBRef.com.
Zinedine Zidane should recruit superstars like Kylian Mbappe and Eduardo Camavinga, but he must also unlock the full potential of two players who are just as gifted in Vinicius and Rodrygo. These two young men can define a new era for Real Madrid and La Liga under his guidance.