Real Madrid’s over-reliance on the old guard
What is Zinedine Zidane’s best lineup? And how many of them would still be at the club in the next five years? Modric, Ramos, and Benzema definitely wouldn’t be. Perhaps Kroos, Casemiro, Eden Hazard, and Dani Carvajal wouldn’t be as well. Zidane has put all his hopes on players who won’t be at the Valdebebas for too long.
Real Madrid are in transition. The squad is rebuilding after having what were perhaps the best five years in the club’s history. For a team in transition, it is suicidal to put all the faith in players in the twilight years of their football career. By doing so, Zidane has pushed some very talented footballers away from the team.
Players like Brahim Diaz, Dani Ceballos, Martin Odegaard, and Luka Jovic were never given a real opportunity while Vinicius Junior, Fede Valverde, and Militao have been in and out of the team. These seven players are seven solutions that Zidane never put in use in the right manner. And what is amusing is that it is not that Zidane doesn’t hold these players in high regard. Zidane likes most of these players – well, at least that is what he has been saying to the media.
An ideal Real Madrid squad – or let’s say a Real Madrid squad of most other managers – would have these players playing an important role. Their squad would be more balanced by integrating the youth, and Florentino Perez’s project wouldn’t have looked this weak. Zidane has let a lot of Los Blancos’ faithful down by not giving the youngsters a go.