Zidane is building something special again at Madrid. You can see his style of play is very different from what you see today. It is closer to his Serie A and early La Liga days where creativity in midfield especially was key. Kroos looks absolutely magnificent in that Zidane role I must say.
Zidane sack watch - 19/20
- Thread starter JoaquinJoaquin
- Start date
Not really. It's pretty much the same it's always been, with the overreliance on wingbacks and crosses, except with Valverde we're a better pressing team, more solid defensively, and with Hazard we've got the transition/counterattack back
On the other hand with Benzema our only goalscorer, we don't create a whole lot and convert even less
So it's still crossing and inshallah but with more variety?
Of course, you are joint top after all. It's very funny and catchy though, you got to admit.When Hazard's not playing, yes
Mind you, we're very good at it still
I think he has assembled a very good team lacking a big player upfront. If only Vinicius could finish or Mbappe played for Madrid the progress would be exponential.
On a different note, the Valverde-Casemiro combo really adds a lot of dynamism in midfield. I don't even want to think of a four men midfield with Pogba and Odegaard/Kroos added. It would be obscene.
On a different note, the Valverde-Casemiro combo really adds a lot of dynamism in midfield. I don't even want to think of a four men midfield with Pogba and Odegaard/Kroos added. It would be obscene.
I think you can change the thread title. That result at Nou Campo secured his job until the end of the season, minimum.
For the untrained eye it might be over reliance. But in fact not. The full backs are secondary and function as decoys for the real dangerous attacks which come down the middle. Or as outlets when teams do the sensible thing which is to overload Kroos and Isco.
They have improved a lot since the beginning of the season. I think he's staying for the next few years for now, no chance of sacking him, and I don't think they'll find anyone better.
If we had Mbappé, or, i dunno, a portuguese striker, we'd still be the best team in the world i think. It seems all this team needed was for Zidane to take a year off
(Well that, and Fede)
No not really. We attack down the flanks, we progress the ball down the flanks. Kroos job, which yes, is key to everything, is to help move the ball forward through triangles(usually down the flank) and switch the play, which is the main means by which we move the defence and try to break its structure
Usually we try to get behind the defence before crossing(by which i mean we try to get a free man crossing with no opposition from a defender), though against teams that park the bus we often end up resorting to crossing and inshallah, as @VJ1762 so eloquently put it
That all changes with Hazard though, because 1) we have real pace and dribbling on the counter so we can use transitions and 2) the combination of pace, dribbling and passing means we can opt for breaking into the heart of the defence with quick combinations, usually starting from the wing
Ne eed
I wouldn't say it was a 'very good team' tbh. I think it's very average in fact, when you compare it to Madrid of years past. Thankfully for Real, Barcelona have a dreadful coach and are approaching the end of their cycle with this team.
If Barcelona and Atletico were having a normal year and Madrid were doing exactly the same then he'd be getting criticized from every angle. Simeone and Valverde doing horribly has made Zidane's job seem better than it is imo. On pace for 80 points in the league and second in the CL group isn't very good really.
He's still done alright though especially when you take into account the injuries they've had. Should definitely be guaranteed to end the season since he's taking them in the right direction.
He's still done alright though especially when you take into account the injuries they've had. Should definitely be guaranteed to end the season since he's taking them in the right direction.
It would be concerning if with all the talent at his disposal things wouldn't improve. Their squad has a very good potential mixed with world class players.
We had a slow start but we've been really good these past 2 months
League by league in the big 4, not many teams doing better than us atm. Liverpool, leicester, inter, juventus and lazio, that's about it right now
We smashed psg at the bernabeu, even though we pissed away the result in incredibly dumb fashion
Zidane's doing a good job, period. Oh, and we'll win the CL anyways
Results wise it's been okay at best and he's clearly benefitting from Atletico and Barca being poor but as he's had to deal with loads of injuries and there's been a clear improvement from the start of the season I think it's understandable and he deserves the praise he's getting. But if he goes out to City in Europe and finishes second to this underperforming Barca then what? Does he keep the job regardless?
The main goal for Zidane this year is to win the La Liga title..everything else is just a bonus..
Madrid of past years were historical teams with barely no weaknesses in it and world class squad depth, so with that in mind most very good teams will look average in comparison. For instance, Juventus in 2017 was an extremely good team, but average compared to Madrid in 2017.
But if I speak about Zidane assembling a very good team it is not so much because of the final product, but because he has managed to build quite a solid core with the elements at his disposal. If I wanted to equate his team with historical sides I wouldn't mention players that would drastically improve the first eleven. If you look at Bale and Isco yesterday, they are way past their best. There is a big margin for improvement with players that are injured now (Hazard, Asensio) or some market options in the years to come, but the base is definitely there.
In his last season this team with Cristiano had fewer points than we do now
Last season even worse
This was not an already all time great team Zidane took charge of
Atletico have not been better than we've been in the past 3 seasons
Barcelona have one point fewer than last season
Who knows
If the measurement for doing well is comparing with the two previous awful league campaigns after spending so much during the summer then yes, he's doing well. I'd have thought the expectations would be higher than that given this is Real Madrid but maybe all the recent success has given fans more patience.
The whole team looks devoid of ideas yesterday. Why are the likes of Kroos and Casemiro taking potshots from 35 yards out?
More that we're realistic. The fluke in 17/18 wasn't the league, it was the CL win. And then last year, too. This is an ageing team full of players with full bellies, regenerating them was always going to take time. Add in all the injuries and here we are
And yeah, we spent big but come on. We spent over 150 milions on bench players, and another 50 on a 18 year old from brazil. And that's not on Zidane. Hazard got injured right as he was starting to be the real eden hazard, too. Honestly if we can stay healthy the rest of the way i'd expect us to pick up at least 46-48 points in the return legs
Because we were playing with Mendy and Isco instead of Marcelo and Hazard
I laughed out loud. Isn't that "the Moyes" method?
It's just partial measurements with not much meaning, because the titles are decided in March, April, May of the following year. But you can take some pictures and try to evaluate what's going on. Otherwise we have to keep silence for months
For instance, let's compare one specific metric to the 10 previous league campaigns then. Goals against:
09/10 35
10/11 33
11/12 32
12/13 42
13/14 38
14/15 38
15/16 34
16/17 41
17/18 44
18/19 46
19/20 12 so far, at this rate that means 26.82 goals against at the end of the season.
Does it give a complete picture of what's going on? No, of course not. Is it relevant? Yes, perhaps not very relevant, but it gives a better insight on the changes Zidane has had to perform to have his team competing with far less offensive weapons than he counted on before.
By the way, there was just one change yesterday in the first eleven as compared to last season: Mendy.
Pellegrini 09/10: 41 points, 42 GF, 13 GA (96/102/35)
Mourinho I 10/11: 44 points, 46 GF, 14 GA (92/102/33)
Mourinho II 11/12: 43 points, 61 GF, 16 GA (100/121/32)
End of Mourinho 12/13: 33 points, 41 GF, 17 GA (85/103/42)
Ancelotti I 13/14: 41 points, 49 GF, 21 GA (87/104/38)
Ancelotti II 14/15: 42 points, 59 GF, 15 GA (92/118/38)
FSW 15/16: 36 points, 45 GF(10-2 vs 9 men rayo), 16 GA (90/110/34)
God 16/17: 40 points, 46 GF, 16 GA (93/106/41)
God final 17/18: 32 points, 32 GF, 16 GA(Cris has 4 goals) (76/94/44)
Lopatego/Solari 18/19: 30 points, 26 GF, 18 GA (68/63/46)
God redux 19/20: 36 points, 33 GF, 12 GA (pace 80/73/26)
Trend's pretty clear
Mourinho I 10/11: 44 points, 46 GF, 14 GA (92/102/33)
Mourinho II 11/12: 43 points, 61 GF, 16 GA (100/121/32)
End of Mourinho 12/13: 33 points, 41 GF, 17 GA (85/103/42)
Ancelotti I 13/14: 41 points, 49 GF, 21 GA (87/104/38)
Ancelotti II 14/15: 42 points, 59 GF, 15 GA (92/118/38)
FSW 15/16: 36 points, 45 GF(10-2 vs 9 men rayo), 16 GA (90/110/34)
God 16/17: 40 points, 46 GF, 16 GA (93/106/41)
God final 17/18: 32 points, 32 GF, 16 GA(Cris has 4 goals) (76/94/44)
Lopatego/Solari 18/19: 30 points, 26 GF, 18 GA (68/63/46)
God redux 19/20: 36 points, 33 GF, 12 GA (pace 80/73/26)
Trend's pretty clear
*glances at fourth wall*
I think you need 4-5 top quality players before this team can even start to be considered in the same bracket as those previous teams. When players like Vazquez are starting a good amount of games, it highlights the shortcomings alot as he is awful. Bit similar to Jesse Lingard starting games for United.
The nickname Jorge Jesus gave him crossed borders and lives outside Portugal
Patego is actually an insult in PT, that's why he did the pun.
I know
The nickname Jorge Jesus gave him crossed borders and lives outside Portugal
Patego is actually an insult in PT, that's why he did the pun.
Not really. If Benzema, Kroos, Ramos, Marcelo and Carvajal stay on this level, we're one player away from those great sides of the past. A truly great goalscoring forward
Lucas Vazquez was one of the most used players by Zidane in his first stint
Still a mistery why Real Madrid decides to appoint him. I guess his agent must be a very good one. His tenure at Porto was disastrous if you bare in minda that he had the most expensive budget Porto ever had at his disposal. Porto bought several players fro 15/20M he suggested which is a lot to our league, and despite doing decently at UCL groups stage, his teams played a very passive possession style, being completely toothless in a lot of games.I know
32 year old Benzema, Nearly 34 year old Ramos and 31 year old Marcelo isn't really the basis of a good team is it?
Yeah, and like I said Vazquez is dreadful. How he has managed to last this long at Madrid is a miracle. He wouldn't stand out for Getafe.
There was no one else
In 5 years, sure. Next year, why the hell not?
Lucas was playing big minutes and contributing in meaningful ways while we were winning 3 CL in a row and a double. Dreadful or not, on a great side he was good
9 finals - 9 wins. Unparalleled. The only one who comes close is Pep who won 8/9 of the finals at the start of his career.
The legend keeps growing.
The legend keeps growing.
Remember when he was supposed to be sacked by mid season and replaced by Mourinho. That went well..
He’s safe again and we can remove the “sack watch” from the OP title. Until Madrid lose 2 in a row again and the go into crisis mode again The standards down there are insane.
Good news for us is that this gives us a clean run at Pochettino
The standards down there are insane.Good news for us is that this gives us a clean run at Pochettino
Thank god we dodged a bullet there.
Reminder that this thread was made after Madrid lost a pre-season friendly ...
Football fans and overreacting goes well together ...
Football fans and overreacting goes well together ...
Yeah thank God we hired Ole ''we're going places'' Solskjaer instead. Absolutely no point in signing the likes of Zidane ever again because two managers that were over the hill failed here recently. Great logic.