Real Madrid – La Liga Juan Ignacio Garcia-Ochoa gives his opinion
Just when there are no rumours about a possible dismissal of Zinedine Zidane and when it was beginning to be taken for granted that Real Madrid would continue to count on him for next season, the Frenchman has begun to sow doubts about his own future.
He doesn’t want to talk about anything that goes beyond May 30, which is the date of the Champions League final and that’s where he dreams of being. Planning, nothing at all. It is strange. He first sowed doubt when talking about Eden Hazard‘s injury, in which he said that the Belgian would one day explode at Real Madrid, although he didn’t know if it would be with him on the bench. It seemed like a mistake, but it wasn’t. Zidane knows what he’s saying… and now, there are more doubts when talking about Erling Haaland.
It’s understood that Zidane doesn’t want to talk about other players (although he’s happily done so in the past with Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe) and that he simply wants to focus on the here and now. The fact he insists so much that he isn’t thinking about next season is strange. When it comes to talking about signings or renewals, or even the future in general, he doesn’t say that he won’t talk about it until the end of the current season, but he simply says that he doesn’t think about it.
Annoyed by all the noise that has accompanied this season, mostly about his future, he gives the feeling on many occasions that this second stage as Real Madrid coach is wearing a lot on him. He has already left in style as both a player and a coach, and it’s not ruled that that he could say ‘see you later’ (because with Zidane there will never be a goodbye to Real Madrid) for the third time. The doubt that comes after hearing his words makes you wonder whether Zidane already knows he is leaving, or that he is afraid he will be sacked.
Zizou knows where he is and has always said that at Real Madrid it’s unacceptable not to win. The good thing for him and for Real Madrid is that he has always won. Each full season has ended with a handful of trophies, and this term LaLiga Santander and the Champions League, which speaks well of the coach’s ability, are the best they can hope for.
When analysing a coach, one should look beyond whether the ball enters the goal in the last minute or hits the post. Zidane is performance, trophies. Institutional peace, consensus with the fans and with the dressing room. All this is Zidane, in addition to being a much better coach than people give him credit for. For this reason, Real Madrid should convince him to stay if the thought goes through his head to leave; they won’t get rid of him if they don’t win a trophies, especially in a season where winning either LaLiga Santander or the Champions League would be a miracle.
