Real Madrid have just been eliminated from the Copa Del Rey last week. Let’s take a closer look and discuss in more details. The team that crushed Zinedine Zidane’s Club dream is Alcoyano. Even more shocking, the Spanish third division club managed to overturn the scoreboard when they played with ten men. This defeat came after Real failed to score in a draw against relegation club Osasuna. Previously Real were eliminated in the Supercopa semifinals by Athletic Bilbao.
In short, the last defeat made Real Madrid worse. Many consider this defeat to be a historical moment that tarnished the club’s history. This defeat will be remembered for years as one of the darkest moments for Los Blancos during the club’s 119 years of existence. What’s wrong with the most successful club on Spanish League?
Unnecessary Old players
Zidane won the Champions League three times in a row with a relatively the same squad. Ramos, Benzema, Marcelo, Kroos, Casemiro, Modric, Carvahal and Varane are still Zidane’s mainstays to this day.
It is understandable that Zidane’s loyalty to these players is a form of his appreciation for the past successes that were achieved together. This made it difficult for potential young players such as Achraf Hakimi, Dani Ceballos, Sergio Reguilon, Mateo Kovacic to find space and chose to look for fortunes at other clubs.
Now, the names above prove themselves when Real Madrid is in crisis. Zidane may regret not giving the names above the same opportunity to take on the role. Now that he realizes that the mainstay players cannot boost the club’s performance, the Real Madrid bench is even filled with players who are also out of form such as Mariano, Eder Militao, Odriozola, Odegaard, and Vinicius.
Zidane grinned at the sight of Alcoyano’s last goal. It seems that he knows the foundations of the team he built 4 years ago are starting to become fragile. The club needs rejuvenation, because no matter how good a football player is, he cannot fight against the clock. Now is the time to give more trust to the successors, unfortunately many of them have left because they are tired of waiting.
Wrong Transfer Target
Marcelo and Dani Carvajal were two of the best wing-backs in the world, in their time. Now the two of them are not as fast as they used to be, not as good as they used to be, and that is not something that is surprising. Sooner or later, Real Madrid will have to find a replacement.
Ferland Mendy and Odriozola were brought in as deputies. So far, only the first name has performed well and replaced Marcelo’s position. Meanwhile, Odriozola has never shown his best performance ever since his loan at Bayern Munich.
Mendy and Odriozola were brought off at a price that was not cheap. As we know, Real Madrid is not a name if you don’t buy expensive players. However, especially for these two purchases there seems to be a misperception. Florentino Perez may have forgotten that he has two outstanding academy coaches in Achraf Hakimi and Sergio Reguilon. Both full-backs, both free, and worst of all, both were sold in the same transfer window this season.
Switching to the position of striker Luka Jovic, who was brought in for 60 million Euros from Eitracht Frankfurt at the age of 21. At that time, he was the most sought-after player in all of Europe, but at such a young age, judging a player just because one glorious season was not a careful move. 2 years later, 2 seasons after arrival, only 2 goals he can score.
The last purchase is the most expensive. Eden Hazard was brought off for 100 million Euros. whether the price is worth it or not is not a matter of debate at that time, because the quality and ability of the Belgian man is not in doubt. Unfortunately, Hazard has spent more time in the maintenance room since moving from Chelsea. In total, 283 days he had to pull over due to various kinds of injuries. every time he came back on the pitch he looked less sharp and lost touch. The result is only 3 goals he has just created so far.
Zidane’s Luck is Dimming
If you are looking for a coach with great tactical abilities, Pep Guardiola is the one. Or want a coach with extraordinary charisma? go to Liverpool and you will meet Jurgen Klopp there. But if you want someone who is able to bring out the best performance from his players, who is able to lead a club to win a trophy because he has experienced it himself then nothing is more suitable than Zinedine Zidane.
Zidane once left Real Madrid and look how messy the club is. Players who are relatively the same and have just won Europe so they play like a club. Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari took turns falling victim to jokes from madrid supporters. He brought back Zidane, the players who were unable to qualify for the top 16 of the champions league in the Scolari era he brought to the final and became champions.
Man Management is Zidane’s forte. It makes the most influential player is feeling happy. That reciprocal loyalty is still there. The difference is, now the end result is often not on their side. Seeing the various problems above plus the contract situation of Sergio Ramos, who in fact is the captain and best player in el Real in the last decade, making the situation even more complicated for Perez and Zidane. Can Zidane save Real Madrid? Let’s wait while hoping that the mistakes above don’t happen again in the near future.
