The odds are firmly stacked against Zinedine Zidane; the new Real Madrid Fc coach.Most modern day ex-super stars haven't turned out excellent coaches.From Diego Maradona, Roy Keane, Paolo Di Canio, Filipo Inzaghi to Clarence Seedorf. The few who have distinguished themselves are the 'not too Super ones' like Josep Guardiola, Luis Enrique, Diego Simeone and Antonio Conte.Secondly, there is nothing special about the current Madrid squad and they are the only ones who don't seem to realize that.
Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez are good players that are bound to show you flashes of brilliance every now and then but Madrid need players who would do that every other week.Good isn't enough for the largest club in the world, exceptional is more fitting and that is what you need if you want to compete against the very best season after season.Unlike their arch rivals; Fc Barcelona, Madrid have a more conventional and flexible way of playing the game but like every other playing system, the midfield is key to successful implementation.
Luka Modric is in my opinion, the best midfielder Madrid currently have.He has a good work rate and a great passing ability yet as baffling as this may sound, he doesn't boast a sharp eye for a final pass.He has great mobility and doesn't cling onto the ball for too long which makes it difficult for him to stamp his authority and control the tempo of the game.He stands to gain a lot by having Zinedine Zidane as coach.A lesson or two on how to best lead a midfield could just do wonders.
Isco is a good player but lacks consistency.His playing style is the closest to Zizou's as a player and he might decide to help harness his potentials.In a nutshell, he seems to have buckled under the pressure that comes with playing at Madrid.But then there are good players and there are great ones.There are mere mid-table materials and then there are the exclusive few made to play for the creme de la creme.
James Rodriguez hasn't made a huge impact on the Madrid side since joining.Madrid fans could spend the whole day trying to convince you otherwise just to win an argument but it won't change the fact that he hasn't lived up to expectations.Except of course, they have become too accustomed to life as a sleeping giant to realize that.
Toni Kroos is a player that would always struggle to adapt to the Spanish philosophy of football.Most German players appear too rigid as a result of having come up in a system that allows less room for self expression.He has a great eye for goal but is one of those players who play well only when the team is doing so and you can't count on such people to lift your team.He is more a defensive midfielder these days and what better way to illustrate the deplorable state of the Madrid midfield than that.
No coach sitting in the Madrid dugout can perform miracles with the armoury at his disposal and to think he'll get fired if he can't beat Barca and other A-listers to any trophy at the end of two seasons at the very most makes his case more pathetic.
Zinedine Zidane certainly didn't get the Madrid job on the back of an impressive spell as Castilla coach.He is still reaping off his reputation as a legendary footballer and like an analyst rightly put it-'Zidane is a rookie coach shelled by his larger than life image as an ex-player'.He already has the players' respect and won't find it difficult to control the dressing room.
But a lot has to change about this team if he hopes to achieve great things with Les Merengues.
Feelers from the Bernabeu indicate that Florentino Perez will ring wholesale changes to the squad at the end of the season and that as much as €200M could be spent on player purchases.The amount is reportedly set to be generated from Player sales.
I hope he puts transfer resources to better use this time for the good of the team and its new gaffer.If there is a strong will on the part of the management, then it shouldn't be too difficult to lure Yaya Toure into the Madrid fold.It is evident Toure isn't enjoying being the scapegoat at the end of every bad Man City season and though he is smart to let the signs out without making a huge fuss of it, he is ready to be taken by any big club ready to splash the cash.He didn't leave Fc Barcelona on the most pleasant terms so a Blancos transfer won't be deemed a betrayal.Toure could practically carry a team on his huge shoulders as coaches now think it is wasteful to play him in defensive midfield.He scores, assists and uses his strength well.He is a most potent threat when he makes those incursive surges.
As long as Paul Pogba remains in Juventus, then any of Madrid, City, Chelsea or PSG can sign him and I think Madrid would stand a better chance of doing so.What more?.They need him most.Being chased by the biggest team in world football and the lure of being coached by a French great could be too hard to turn down.The dream combination of a Pogba-Toure midfield which seems quite feasible will put an end to living with semi-mediocrity and what better icing than a midfielder in the mould of PSG's Marco Verrati?.Verrati is the closest thing to Andres Iniesta out there when it comes to pulling the strings and driving the team.His signature shouldn't be hard to secure if the guy who came third in Barca's presidential election could promise to bring him over if he won.
This is what is guaranteed when the old Madrid tell the world they want to change the face of their team-the best available and nothing more.
The burden of pivoting the team is starting to tell on Cristiano Ronaldo.Lionel Messi always had a better tendency to perform that task for the simple fact that he is more a natural talent.CR is more a product of rigorous training than he is as is evidenced by the start of both careers in the limelight.While better muscled Ronaldo is as dangerous as anyone in the opponent's half, he can't drive in as fast as Messi in those plays that produce options up front.This technically means Madrid are more reliant on other players' creativity when he isn't scoring.
Gareth Bale has had an erratic few seasons at the Bernabeu so far and one can't confidently say he has complemented CR like a Neymar or Suarez has done Messi at Camp Nou.I wouldn't be surprised if Perez cashes in on either star at the end of the season and contrary to what many may think, he might just opt for the one to generate more cash as he knows neither would be missed in the event of a thorough overhaul.
Which brings me to another crucial issue.For Real Madrid to make a speedy return to being a great team, they must cut ties with everything pinning them down in the good team category.Karim Benzema's stats over the years may awe everyone but it won't change the fact that he doesn't rank among the very best.A striker that will bury 3 clear cut chances out of every 5 is what the team needs.When people say Benzema is a ball playing striker, I ask for the rate he beats opposing defenders on one on one situations?.Nothing out of the ordinary.A Sergio Aguero or Carlos Tevez might not score from as many long range shots or bicycle kicks but they guarantee you goals as long as the chances don't stop coming and nothing beats that in the life of a striker.The question isn't whether Benzema is a good striker because obviously he is but there are many others who would perform much better under the same conditions.
For the last three seasons, I have always said Romelu Lukaku and Christian Benteke are the most underrated attackers in World Football.Luckily, Benteke, who is the less profilic of the two judging by stats secured a move to Liverpool Fc at the start of the season and if I were calling the shots at Santiago Bernabeu, Romelu Lukaku would sign before this transfer window closes.He is cheap by Madrid standards and seems one of those stress-free targets who would pressurize their clubs into selling them.Worst case scenario is that they hold off till the end of the season.
Lukaku is big,strong and a good ball player who would very much adapt to the playing pattern of any team.He is good in the air and can drop deep when need be.Most importantly, he guarantees you goals.A lot of them depending on how just how well you feed him.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a potential target owing to the nomadic nature of his career.A new challenge at Madrid could entice him but the huge sum needed to push that through could be put to better use by fortifying other areas.A capable deputy for Marcelo and a more modern day right back.
Zinedine Zidane has a lot to prove but I wouldn't blame him if he fails with this squad.Failure in the Los Blancos context isn't failing to qualify for the Uefa Champions League or getting kicked out of the league cup in the first round, it is finishing second in the league and winning the Copa del rey back to back.
He is highly revered among the Madrid faithful and has a good knowledge of how things work in the club having retired there and coached the B-team.Most importantly, he understands all that won't count when the results don't start coming in a hurry.Dealing with not only the most impatient but also the most influential fans in World Football is not an easy task.
A rookie has been dealt a bad hand and I don't envy him.
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