Real Madrid has been eliminated from the UEFA Champions League, losing the semi-final against Chelsea with an aggregate score of 3-1. Los Blancos couldn’t step up when it mattered the most, and the players were beaten by a well-determined set of players. And Zinedine Zidane got tactically outcoached by Thomas Tuchel, as the Frenchman had no answer to the German coach’s tactics and perfect setup.
With some important absences for the game, and some key players making it just in time for the all-important game without any match practice, Zinedine Zidane had a tough decision to make. He took the risk with the club captain and the left-back Ferland Mendy, but he chose to not take the risk in Fede Valverde’s case who was missed a lot in the first leg, as he had just one training session after recovering from COVID-19.
Zidane chose to use a backline of Mendy, Ramos, Nacho and Militao, with Vinicius starting from the right-hand side. It looked good before the game but after the match began, the formation became more and more confusing. Nacho, who was expected to be a centre-back, appeared to be more of a wingback, while Militao looked to be stuck between the role of a centre-back and a right-back. Even Vinicius’ role was confusing, as he appeared to be both a winger and a wingback at the same time.
This Real Madrid XI had no answer to Chelsea’s physical and energetic approach, and Zidane couldn’t change the game even with the players available on the bench. Zidane did get his tactics wrong against a perfectly set up Chelsea side, and his tactics completely failed against them. Even he wouldn’t be shy of accepting this failure from him.
Zinedine Zidane deserves respect for what he has done at Real Madrid in his second stint
And as expected, the players and the managers are facing a lot of heat from some sections of the fanbase and Spanish Media. Some of this criticism include a few hot takes, bashing Zidane’s tactics and approach and even questioning Zidane’s future at the club. And several outlets have started spreading rumours about the Frenchman’s future, with the timing favouring such rumours.
But all those critics need to just take a chill pill and reflect upon whatever the gaffer has done for Real Madrid this season. They just need to show Zidane some respect for whatever he has done all through his career, and is even doing now.
Real Madrid has had around 60 injuries and COVID infections to their players this season. These injuries have forced a set of players including veterans like Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Karim Benzema Casemiro to play more than what their body can manage. And at this time, it would be criminal to expect them to perform at their best and keep running for 90 minutes. They are fatigued, and everything coming from them at this stage of the season is just a bonus.
And Real Madrid has had their 100 million worth Galactico and starting right-back injured for 75% of the season, with the lack of a pre-season further hurting their ambitions. Even their club captain had struggled due to injuries and just played four games in 2021. And supposedly it’s the same captain Ramos, without whom the team’s survival was very difficult.
Real Madrid can still win La Liga for a second season in a row
And the club had zero new signings in both the transfer window, with no reinforcements being made to an attacking line that has only one natural goalscorer. Not to forget the ageing core, who didn’t have any natural or reliable backup throughout the season. Real Madrid might have won a league in 2019/20, but it was mostly due to their brilliance and solidity at the back. It was really difficult to see this club advancing to the semifinals at one stage in December, back when Real Madrid were about to drop to Europa League.
Despite all these challenges, Real Madrid is still in the race for the LaLiga title, currently tied on points with Barcelona and just two points Atletico Madrid, with four games remaining. Imagine you’re standing in the shoes of Zinedine Zidane and faced such challenges throughout the season. Would it be easy? The answer is a definite no.
So before commenting anything about Zinedine Zidane, people just need to respect the man for everything he has done this season and they need to realise that Zidane has practically overachieved with this squad. He deserves that respect for his contribution to Real Madrid, and all he needs is some space and lesser pressure for him to focus more on the LaLiga title that is still within his reach.
And people shouldn’t forget that this man won games against Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta and Liverpool (who are coached by the ‘manager of the year’) with the same tactics and same set of players. He was hailed as a genius back then, but now he’s being made the target for a loss. He did get his tactics wrong, but he’s a human after all and the opponents need to get their share of appreciation as well.
It is better for the critics to think before giving their hot takes, and not let the result of one tie cloud their sense of judgement while rating Zidane for this season as a whole. They just need to stay patient and stop judging the team and players while they are still in the race for one competition.