Real Madrid go into Saturday’s La Liga clash against Valencia with the storm clouds circling around the team and especially their manager.
A 2-1 loss in midweek to Leganes, at home, saw Los Blancos crash out of the Copa del Rey at the quarterfinal stage, yet again failing to reach the last four.
They remain 19 points behind arch-rivals Barcelona in the league table, languishing in fourth place – five points behind Saturday’s opponents.
Here are the key talking points ahead of the game.
ZIDANE’S LAST GAME IN CHARGE?
Could this weekend’s trip to Valencia really be Zinedine Zidane’s last game as Real Madrid manager, just a month after he became the first Los Blancos boss to ever win five trophies in a calendar year?
The answer, without any doubt, is yes, after Wednesday’s midweek cup exit against Leganes left even Zidane admitting that his job is on the line. Although the upcoming Champions League clash against Paris St Germain is widely seen as his last chance to redeem himself, there’s a chance the Frenchman won’t even last that long if his team loses again this weekend.
The biggest concern for president Florentino Perez, a huge admirer of Zidane who really does not want to be forced into sacking his coach, is that Zidane has given no suggestion that he knows how to turn the team’s form around. Their performances have been getting gradually worse and Zidane has already run out of the credit he earned from last season’s achievements.
In fact, if Madrid plays poorly and loses again at Mestalla, the only real argument for keeping Zidane in place would be if nobody adequate for the role is available to replace him. But if he has to, Perez will find someone, somewhere.
WILL VALENCIA FIND A BACK FOUR?
Madrid’s hopes of gaining a desperately-needed victory in Valencia are boosted by dreadful selection problems in defence for the hosts, who only have one of their four central defenders available.
Ruben Vezo and Gabriel Paulista are both suspended after being sent off in last weekend’s 2-1 loss at Las Palmas, while Jeison Murillo is injured. Barring an unlikely success in appealing against Vezo’s red card, that leaves manager Marcelinho with Ezequiel Garay as his only recognisable centre back and no obvious options to play alongside him.
One possibility for the Valencia boss is moving Francis Coquelin, a new recruit from Arsenal, from his normal midfield position into the centre of defence, something he occasionally did during his stint with the Gunners.
Whatever option Marcelinho chooses it will be a decidedly makeshift back line to face a Madrid attack which has seen Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema all get back into the goals recently – the former pair both bagged braces in last weekend’s thrashing of Deportivo La Coruna, and Benzema netted in the midweek cup loss against Leganes. It could be just the stroke of luck Zidane needs.
THIRD PLACE PLAYOFF?
With five points currently separating Valencia in third place from Madrid in fourth, this game could be the last chance for Los Blancos to maintain realistic hopes of climbing into the top three by the end of the season.
An eight-point gap, even with a game in hand, would be a huge mountain for Madrid to climb, especially as their season concludes with trips to Villarreal, Sevilla and Barcelona in three of their last five games.
Indeed, the reigning champions are also in genuine danger of falling out of the top four and not even qualifying for the Champions League – in-form Villarreal are just one point behind ahead of Saturday night’s home meeting with struggling Real Sociedad.
Of course, the picture could change quickly and a Madrid victory this weekend would reduce the deficit to third place to just two points. And aside from Valencia’s selection problems in defence, the home team also have problems with their recent form after losing four of their last seven games.
So this game is also crucial for Los Che in their quest to regain confidence, and it could be an explosive contest between two teams with everything to play for.
