Real Madrid: 5 burning questions after 1-1 draw with Villarreal

What is Zinedine Zidane’s biggest task?

Zinedine Zidane has been dealt another difficult hand in 2020-2021. He knew this would be a tough season for Real Madrid, because other teams in La Liga, namely Atletico Madrid and Villarreal, were due to improve whereas his side wasn’t able to make signings. Worse yet, the injuries have piled up even more than last year, with COVID-19 playing an unfortunately predictable role in several absences.

Real should be happy with the point they earned at the Estadio de la Ceramica, but there are still big tests on the horizon. Wednesday night’s Champions League fixture at the San Siro is a must-win, because Los Blancos are currently staring down an unthinkable trip to the Europa League.

If Real played like they did at the Estadio de la Ceramica, they may lose to an Inter side they barely defeated a couple of weeks ago.

So for Zidane, the major keys are the same. He needs to get the team moving more, playing with real intensity in the second half, and making better use of the wide forwards. It’s been disheartening seeing how poorly players like Vinicius Junior and Marco Asensio have been performing over the past couple of weeks, because Madridistas know they can be two of the better players in the Champions League.

Antonio Conte and Inter will bring their best, and they will certainly be intense with the personnel they have. Real Madrid must not only match, but exceed that intensity at mid-week.