Zinedine Zidane, it is clear, has all the ingredients at his disposal to enjoy a huge amount of success at Real Madrid.
For starters, he can call upon a world-class squad packed with hugely talented players, from the club’s all-time leading scorer Cristiano Ronaldo and in-form Gareth Bale in attack, to World Cup-winning Toni Kroos and Mr Reliable Luka Modric in midfield, and stalwart skipper Sergio Ramos in defence…plus many more besides.
Furthermore, Zidane will command instant and complete respect from those players, who are well aware of their status as global superstars and therefore far from the easiest bunch of people to manage.
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Madrid fans, a notoriously demanding bunch, also hold Zidane in extremely high esteem following his glorious playing career and will give him every chance to succeed rather than looking to find fault at every turn.
That was certainly not the case for his predecessor Rafa Benitez, who was never trusted by fans, players or the media following his controversial appointment in place of the popular Carlo Ancelotti in June.
Most people in and around the Bernabeu never wanted Ancelotti to leave, and they certainly didn’t want to see him replaced by a man who last won a major trophy nearly a decade ago and was known – rightly or wrongly – as a purveyor of boring football.
So Benitez never really stood a chance, and Zidane is probably lucky to have been appointed now rather than in the summer because it means he can be regarded as a welcome saviour rather than immediately following immediately in the footsteps of a popular man with whom he had recently shared a dug-out.
Zinedine Zidane vs Luis Enrique is going to be fun! pic.twitter.com/MU3w1CPVux
— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) January 4, 2016
There are, then, plenty of things in Zidane’s favour: a world-class squad, a reputation which demands respect and a fanbase which is desperate for him to succeed rather than waiting for him to fail.
But he also has a lot of sorting-out to do, especially on a tactical level because Los Blancos have spent a long time looking like a team without an identity: they have wanted to be attacking, to play attractive football, and to make their superstar ‘BBC’ forward line the focal point of the team, but they have never discovered a way of achieving that without sacrificing defensive stability.
Sunday night’s game at Valencia was a case in point. Although Madrid deserved a penalty for a foul on Bale just before the home team’s first goal, it should never have been so easy for Andre Gomes to immediately receive a long ball downfield and race 50 yards to win a penalty.
As it so often has been, the team structure was conspicuous by its absence.
Likewise, the manner of Valencia’s second equaliser – an unchallenged cross followed by two free headers just seconds after Bale had restored the lead – was hugely frustrating from a coaching perspective, and should not have been allowed by a team packed with elite players.
Those two goals were a fine example of Madrid’s problems. They can score goals, of course they can with players like that. But their work without the ball is severely lacking, both in terms of commitment and shape.
And now the new coach, charged with instilling the necessary structure, is a man who has never previously coached at a high level. Zidane will have to learn on the job – quickly.
