to become burdened by the intense weight of being the
overwhelming favourites.LA DECIMA, Un DECIMA, DUODECIMA...DECIMOTERCERO?
These remain only minor grievances, compared to those
experienced a few hundred miles north-east in Catalonia. Madrid’s
current team is their best since winning five successive European Cups
in the ’50s and it comes at a time when Barcelona’s crown has
slipped. Neymar’s gone, the president is facing constant calls to
resign and is due in court over the Brazilian’s transfer, and both the
club and Lionel Messi can’t decide whether he’s actually signed a new
deal, which runs out next summer.
“After so many years of Barcelona dominance, that Real Madrid’s
best spell for years coincides with a moment of huge instability with
Barça is quite the source of joy for Madridistas,” says Marca journalist
Jimenez. “Don’t get me wrong, they’re more interested in what’s
happening at the Bernabeu, though it does taste a bit sweeter.”
Zidane has always wanted to create Real Madrid history. In 2003,
he gave an interview saying he wanted to win “la decima, undecima
and duodecima”. He meant as a player, but he’s secured Los Blancos’
10th, 11th and 12th European Cups as first assistant, then manager in
2014, 2016 and 2017. Unsurprisingly, his team are early favourites to
claim la decimotercero – ‘the thirteenth’ – this season.
True, he hasn’t elaborated on his plans from next summer,
when his contract runs out, and has said “I know I won’t be here
forever”, but he lives and breathes Real like few others.
“Look, Real Madrid are the best team in the world because of what
they’ve achieved in the last two years,” says Zizou’s former charge
Derik. “And by definition, the best team in the world is managed by
the best manager.”
On that subject, Zidane’s remains unmoved. “Nooooo,” he said
when the question came up amid Cardiff celebrations.
Paulo Campos believes Zidane’s success is unique among
world-class players-turned-managers.
“Zidane studied to become a coach,” he says. “He
reached this point step by step. Being able to perform at
the top level doesn’t mean you completely understand
the game, but his ‘football intelligence’ is rare. In the
future, he’ll be manager of an important national team,
like France at the World Cup.”
Marca’s Jimenez also puts Zizou in the highest bracket.
His opposition is crushed, his squad fully behind him, his
president enthral to his beat.
“He’ll join an elite group of the best coaches in history with Pep,
Cruyff and Ancelotti if he wins a third Champions League
in a row,” he says. “But personally, I think he’s already there.”
Immortality awaits. Again.countenance his disposal. Isco has developed into one of the best
footballers in Europe under Zidane and was justifiably handed a
Champions League final start in June, ahead of Gareth Bale.
“Pocos cambios,” was the message over the summer. ‘Few changes’.
Kylian Mbappe – Perez’s first-choice signing – could come in, but only if
one of Ronaldo, Benzema or Bale was moved on. Zidane’s compatriot
instead joined Neymar at Paris Saint-Germain. There’d be no
“bobma”, a ‘transfer bomb’ which Perez prefers to animate
Madridista support. Only Dani Ceballos – the 20-year-old Real Betis
midfielder who starred at this year’s European Under-21
Championship – and Theo Hernandez from city rivals Atletico, to
provide left-back cover for Brazilian Marcelo.
He also sent James on loan to Bayern Munich for a couple of
seasons. Increasingly unable to reach an acceptable matchday
rhythm, when James mouthed “go f**k yourself” while getting hooked
72 minutes into a routine win at Leganes last season, it was the final
straw for Zidane. He’s loyal, yes, but there are limits to his patience.
Such influence hasn’t been without its increasing drawbacks,
though. Zidane felt he could no longer stand in the way of forwards
Morata and Mariano, both of whom he had seen rise through the
youth ranks. The former scored three goals in his first four Chelsea
matches, the latter four in five games for Lyon.
When Benzema injured a knee in mid-September to miss six
weeks, Zidane’s only natural No.9 was Borja Mayoral, a 20-year-old
with just eight first-team experiences at Madrid, who had scored
only twice in 19 Bundesliga appearances on loan at Wolfsburg
throughout 2016-17.
For perhaps the first time, the coach had let his heart rule his head.
“He wished me a lot of luck in the future and simply told me to enjoy
my new chapter,” Morata tells FFT. “He’s always spoken about things to
my face. That shows you what type of person he is.”
“Looking at our squad, we may be missing a No.9,” Zidane admitted
after Benzema’s injury in a disappointing 1-1 home draw with Levante,
especially with Bale the frequent subject of whistles of disapproval
from the Bernabeu faithful. “I would have liked Morata to stay here but
he wanted to play more football, which was his choice.”
That result was also notable for the return of an affliction unique to
Real Madrid – Cristianodependencia: an over-reliance on Ronaldo.
The Portuguese received a five-game suspension for pushing
the referee in the Spanish Super Cup victory against Barcelona and
missed that draw, plus another against Valencia.
For the first time, Zidane felt emboldened enough to criticise the ref.
“I’m not looking for a fight with them, but anybody can improve
and referees are no different,” he said. “To think Cristiano will now
miss five games, oof, something is happening there. I’m annoyed
with this, like everyone, because for such a small thing, such a
punishment is huge.”
Zidane has allowed a mental block to envelope the Madrid squad. It
was different when there was no Ronaldo through rotation – that was
his choice. When denied their star, they couldn’t overcome that hurdle.
“We need Cristiano now to score our goals,” Theo Hernandez said.
“We’ve had chances, but missed them.”
All this, despite winning the Spanish Super Cup and the UEFA Super
Cup with a scintillating display against Manchester United. For many,
it’s unseemly for a Real Madrid manager to criticise a referee, especially
when it permeates through the squad’s psyche.
“The epitome of anger’s reached him at his best moment since
being in charge,” penned one columnist. “He should be all smiles, the
same as always but multiplied by seven titles, but Zidane’s warier
than ever. His words have dominated the public opinion and the game
has hardly been spoken about.”
He criticised his players’ attitude against Levante (“we’re playing
with too much confidence”) and tore into the squad during half-time
of the opening match of their Champions League defence at home to
APOEL. According to Marca, Zidane claimed that his players had “no
attitude, no intensity and no desire” after going into the break only
one goal up. They went on to triumph 3-0.
“Madrid are now the dominant force in European football,” Zizou had
said after the victory in Cardiff. “Tomorrow we must show that again.”
And yet, for the first time in 18 impossibly successful months, Zidane
seems under pressure and tetchy, almost as if he’s starting
Above Zizou quickly
equalled Pep’s tally
of European Cup
victories Below
“Time for a rest? OK,
seeing as it’s you”ZIDAn E