20/12/2020 12:00 – Updated: 12/20/2020 1:10 PM
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To talk about Zinédine Zidane’s Real Madrid is to talk about Real Madrid of the four European Cups in five seasons (one as second to Carlo Ancelotti), but also focus on the reassessment of leagues as the tournament of regularity versus the uniqueness suggested by the Champions League. After all, the French coach is the only coach who can boast of having snatched two league trophies from the hegemonic dominator of the competition, Leo Messi, and, in turn, have found a method capable of sustaining the title race for 38 days.
When Zidane took the reins of the white club, he understood that the only way to overthrow the Argentine tyrant was through the collective, since the individuals of its squad used to fall enraptured by the siren songs of the maximum continental tournament and they deflated from day to day. A two-sided Real Madrid. With the aim of reversing the situation, the French coach began to bet on rotations that would help to have the vast majority of his squad immersed in competitive dynamics. He seduced the group and made them understand that extreme competition, the bench and the distribution of minutes would be the most powerful argument to win.
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So the famous ‘Unit B’ emerged with Álvaro Morata, Danilo, Isco Alarcón, Marco Asensio, Pepe, Nacho Fernández, Lucas Vázquez, Mateo Kovacic or James Rodríguez among others. The level between starters and substitutes was blurred and allowed the coach to give rest and responsibility to other members of the squad. They were all plugged in and the goal was not a matter for a few. The formula was effective, so Real Madrid won their first league (2016/17) with Zidane at the helm and in return they obtained a path to follow in the future.
However, the arrival of summer meant the breakdown of the block. Pepe, Álvaro Morata, Danilo, James Rodríguez and Danilo flew and Real Madrid finished third (17 points behind FC Barcelona) after losing the league in December, European champion and Zidane off the bench at the end of the course. After a black period with Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari, Zidane returned to the Santiago Bernabeú in March 2019: “Next season, winning the League will be the priority. I can’t say that we will win it, but we will compete until the end ”.
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The chief tactical officer did not miss the shot and picked up the Sprint League (2019/2020) through defensive strength and squad background that housed in front of a fair Barça of quality troops. “I have a responsibility, it is clear, but the players are the important ones. The truth is that it is the host. Better than the Champions League? Well yes, because these are 38 games and he wins more points ago,” snapped the coach by lifting his second national trophy.
Goodbye to the paradigm
The economic crisis produced by the pandemic and the works at the Santiago Bernabéu made the club will tighten their belts in the transfer market despite not having an excess of talent. Gareth Bale, James Rodríguez, Brahim Díaz, Óscar Rodríguez, Achraf Hakimi, Sergio Reguilón and Takefusa Kubo left, but only Martin Odegaard recovered, on loan from Real Sociedad. However, knowing the hidden potential that the squad in theory houses, Zidane again opted for rotations at the beginning of the coursesor. A system that this season has fallen apart.
And it is that when Real Madrid have missing two or three key pieces of their spine (see Sergio Ramos, Ferland Mendy, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric or Karim Benzema), the rotations formula has collapsed like a house of cards. In other words, the difference between the performance of holders and substitutes has been extraordinary. Too important so that any small modification does not mean a colossal problem for white development. So much so, that the situation has forced the technician to overcome a critical tourmalet (Sevilla, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Atlético de Madrid and Athletic Club) with hardly any changes in the XI madridista. From Seville to Mönchengladbach Sergio Ramos entered, from Borussia to Atlético he incorporated Carvajal and from the derby to Athletic he changed Casemiro for Valverde.
Kroos, Modric and Casemiro: Real Madrid’s engine room is flowing again
The white midfield closes a fantastic week after dominating the capital derby and recovering its best version since the start of the course
Is Zidane a fool for charging his most emblematic footballers with minutes? No. He knows that must dose the quality minutes that the white hierarchs dispute so that they arrive fresh to the March-April stretch, but on the other hand, the lack of hunger, determination and performance of the squad of players that should make up the new ‘Unit B’ prevents recovering the rotation policy.
For example, the closed box of 14 troops with which it is counting against the low level of Éder Militao, Marco Asensio, Isco Alarcón, Luka Jovic, Marcelo, Mariano Díaz or Álvaro Odriozola or that only 11 members exceed 600 minutes in the League of the 1170 played so far. Real Madrid will be pushed to alternate sooner or later, especially when the hard core of the squad is made up of players over thirty, but how little it helps to see the insignificance of the substitute clique called to add a plus instead of subtract.
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