What’s the story?
Real Madrid’s infamous rickety record with their managers looks to get another chapter as reports in Spain indicate that the board has been saying (for quite some time, surprisingly) that if Zidane does not win anything, he won’t continue as the boss. If he does, they say that nothing is confirmed even then.
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Despite winning the Champions League in his first attempt (La un Decima), and having an absolutely incredible record after just over a year of management – a win record of 72.31% is just brilliant – Zidane doesn’t seem to have the full support of Florentino Perez. The board is of the opinion that while Zidane is a good man manager, he isn’t much of a tactician.
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The heart of the matter
The loss in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals to Celta Vigo was not received well by the Madrid hierarchy and recent blips in form – like the loss this mid-week against struggling Valencia – haven’t helped his case. This despite the fact that they thumped Napoli 3-1 in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League.
The thinking behind the Madrid boardroom is that Los Blancos do not have any tactical identity of their own and that is a pain point for them.
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What next
There are very few managers who can keep the Madrid hierarchy happy – be it Vincent del Bosque, Jose Mourinho or Carlo Ancelotti – they say goodbye to their managers regardless of the success they engender. Hence, while the rumours appear to be far-fetched, anything can happen at the Bernabeu.
Watch this space, we will keep you up to date on the latest developments in Madrid.
Sportskeeda’s take
The rumours never seem to end when it comes to Madrid, but Perez’s notorious lack of loyalty to his managers has given this particular one a level of credence that the others may not enjoy. If true, this feels like another typically knee-jerk reaction. Zidane has been excellent as the manager, and his tactical astuteness is vastly underrated.
Considering that he was one of the most intelligent footballers to ever kick a ball around, that really comes as a surprise. He has put out his teams to handle different situations well, playing differently versus Barcelona and Atletico Madrid and Sevilla.
If they let go of Zidane, that might just be an exceptionally bad decision for Perez and co.
