Real Madrid: How Zinedine Zidane can lead Los Blancos to a La Liga title
Real Madrid and Zinedine Zidane have already captured a Champions League title but a La Liga trophy eluded them. Here is how they can change that.
It’s no secret that Real Madrid have under-performed domestically in the past decade. The Galacticos project was created to try and bring them back to their winning ways, but four league wins in the last 15 years isn’t exactly what they had in mind.
Bitter rivals Barcelona have won twice as many titles in the same time. It has now been five years since they won the league, but Zidane managed to close the gap to only one point last season which gives fans and more importantly, Fiorentino Perez, hope that Zidane can bring home a league win this season.
Here are five ways Zidane can bring home the league title this year.
CARDIFF, WALES – SEPTEMBER 05: Gareth Bale of Wales and Igor Armas of Moldova during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Group D qualifying match between Wales and Moldova. (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
Survive the international breaks
International breaks have become an integral part of the season for many large teams that tend to import players. In the case of lower profile players, they are given the chance to rest for a week or two but for high profile players it means 2 games of potentially devastating repercussions.
Injuries are fairly common, and players who have transatlantic flights come back exhausted and jet-lagged. Last season, the second international break almost cost Barcelona the league title when their attacking trident came back exhausted and out of form.
If Zidane manages to survive the breaks with key players like Modric, Casemiro and Bale unharmed, and he can ease them back into league matches to avoid fatigue (more on that later), he’ll be one step closer to winning the league title.
MADRID, SPAIN – APRIL 12: View of the Real Madrid dressing room ahead of the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg match between Real Madrid and Wolfsburg at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on April 12, 2016 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Denis Doyle – UEFA via Getty Images)
Keep team morale high
Many people underestimate the importance of keeping team morale high but it can make or break a season for teams. Chemistry is often underrated in the success of a team but it is usually the key ingredient.
Zidane managed to turn his team around in the league, and also got his team to come back from a 2-0 deficit in the Champions league with a 3-0 win in the Bernabeu. He did this by lowering the pressure for his team with his comments and diverting the attention away from them in a positive way.
If Zidane can work his magic like he did last season and lower the pressure on the team to win, a huge part of the season will be in the bag.
MADRID, SPAIN – AUGUST 20: Head coach Zinedine Zidane of Real Madrid attends a press conference at Valdebebas training ground on August 20, 2016 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Real Madrid via Getty Images)
Manage to balance the Champions League, La Liga, and Copa del Rey
Real Madrid have a fairly long season ahead of them. They have the league matches to worry about, Copa del Rey, and the Champions league. That’s not even taking international matches into account and all the troubles that those bring with fatigue and injuries.
The season is a marathon not a sprint and Zidane needs to show his management skills by bringing balance to his side. This is especially the case with a big club like Real Madrid that usually makes deep runs in all competitions. That brings us to…
MADRID, SPAIN – AUGUST 26: (L-R) Pepe, Danilo, Gareth Bale and Mateo Kovacic of Real Madrid warm up during a training session at Valdebebas training ground on August 26, 2016 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Real Madrid via Getty Images)
Rotate the starting XI
Real Madrid managed to not only keep all of their players, but also call up the likes of Ascensio and bring back Morata. This means that they have one of the best benches in the game. Rotating the squad will be an essential part of the season.
There are two ways Zidane can go about it. The first is to work around one major squad, and replace players depending on who they play. This would allow him to keep things the same for the most part, and rest a couple of player at a time.
The second option would be to form two squads: One for the league and one for the Copa del Rey. This would almost completely avoid the danger of fatigue, but at the cost of consistency. If Zidane can manage to accomplish either of these options, he’ll be one step closer to winning the league title.
MILAN, ITALY – MAY 28: Real Madrid at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on May 28, 2016 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images).
Perfect the holding 4-3-3 formation
Zidane changed up Real Madrid’s 4-3-3 formation as soon as he was appointed head coach. It was originally an attack based 4-3-3, with James Rodriguez in a classic #10 position supplying the 3 forwards, but in recent times it has been replaced by the less common holding 4-3-3.
Rodriguez was replaced by Casemiro who works in a more defensive midfield role, freeing up Modric and Kroos to move up and down the midfield as needed. While the experiment payed off last season, this season will be the real test. Zidane must perfect this formation and have a tightly knit back 4 if he hopes to finish the season in the top spot.
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