Zidane at Real, the eternal restart

Sacred champion of Spain last year, the French technician had (re) started his adventure in Madrid in the best possible way, even if the absence of real competition, Barça being struggling during the resumption of championship, has put many observers into perspective on the performance of Zidane's team.

For the second season of this second act, Zidane was again under fire from critics.

As usual, it's when you think he's doomed that his team wins.

This Wednesday, the knockout stages of the Champions League against Atalanta Bergamo could give him air as he could plunge him into a new tornado of reproaches. 

Heavily criticized last November after a disastrous Champions League group stage, whose second defeat against Shakthar Donetsk (0-2, December 1) provoked the ire of supporters, Zidane reacted by ending the year 2020 unbeaten.

After this setback against the Ukrainians, the White House won against Mönchengladbach in the Champions League (2-0, December 9), but especially against Atlético Madrid (2-0, December 12) and against Sevilla ( 1-0, December 5) in the league.

Real Madrid revived, and Zizou's header was saved.  

"Every day, they say that I will release" 

Zinedine Zidane

A little less than two months after this European disappointment, Zidane is again in the hot seat after his defeat in the Spanish Supercopa semi-final against Athletic Bilbao (2-1, January 14) but especially his elimination in the sixteenth of King's Cup by CD Alcoyano (2-1, January 20), team of third division.

There, it is the drop too much for the very demanding supporters of Real Madrid, who are only waiting for the defeat of Zidane against Alavès, to see Raul take his place on the bench.

But the 1998 world champion seems to have a protective aura hovering over him.

He attends, from a distance the fault of a positive control for Covid-19, the victory of his away team against Alavès (4-1, January 23).

The executives respond present and offer a short respite to their coach.  

This little Covid parenthesis in Zidane's season will have had the gift of annoying the latter at a press conference.

Usually very calm, he seemed to lose his temper, as he could when he was a player.

On February 5, the day before the trip to Huesca, he attacked an overly provocative journalist when he appeared before the press for the first time after being in isolation for twelve days.

"You are serious ?

Is your question serious?

Every day, they say that I will clear.

(...) Just a little respect for all of that.

You make me laugh ... But it's okay.

You say a lot of things and you have to realize their significance.

Tell me to my face "we want you to get out" and don't just do it behind my back ". 

Since this stroke of blood, which will not have failed to make the rounds of the Spanish press, Real are undefeated.

Even if he wins without the manner, Zidane also has to do with a slew of injuries.

Benzema, Ramos, Hazard to name a few.

Thanks to this good accounting form, Zidane returned to the title race, taking advantage of Atlético's bottom.

Real are only three points behind the Colchoneros, even if they have one game more than their neighbor.  

Annoyed by management, attracted to the rooster? 

In 2018, in the last season of his first term, he was also prematurely eliminated from the Copa del Rey and failed to bring La Liga back to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Zidane had however managed to win for the third time in a row, the Champions League.

This time, a possible victory in C1, which will begin this Wednesday evening in Bergamo against Atalanta in the round of 16 first leg, could perhaps not save the skin of the Frenchman.

Florentino Pérez, the president of Madrid, has only very rarely come out in the media to defend his technician and a sword named Raul seems to hang over Zidane.  

He himself may not want to prolong his Merengue adventure.

There are some signs that this is a real possibility.

The former midfielder would be very annoyed internally by the recruitments made by the management (Militao or Odriozola), but also by the management of the case Sergio Ramos, figurehead of Real de Zidane, who has still not extended.

Above all, it is the crowing of the rooster that could make him leave Spain.

For the first time, he opened up the possibility of training the France team in the more or less near future.

“I said that ten years ago when I started training.

It will be one of the things that will certainly be possible one day.

But today I am here.

In the future, we'll see, you never know, ”he declared at a press conference on February 13.

It must be said that Noël Le Graët, president of the FFF, opens the door wide to “Zizou” to take over from Deschamps.

"If Didier stopped, if I was still in place, the first person I would see is Zidane".

A bad Euro or a surprise resignation and Zizou could be in charge of the selection.

He must also think about it.   

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