This may be the year that Zinedine Zidane finally gets full recognition for his achievements as Real Madrid coach, as if he leads this squad to the glory of the Champions League after the draw in the second round of the quarterfinals in Liverpool on Wednesday will be their best win. .
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Real’s 3-1 first-leg win over Spain last week finally provided a comfortable cushion for the return match at Anfield and set aside a semi-final clash later this month with Chelsea. Faced with empty stands once again due to the coronavirus pandemic, Zidane’s team stood firm against Liverpool’s attacking forays to take a step beyond winning the 14th European Cup which broke the record. .
“I will not say anything, we are alive in both competitions [along with La Liga], we are happy, but we have not won anything either. We’ve had tough times, but we’re here at the end of the season when you play for everything and we have to keep going, ”Zidane said.
Liverpool created plenty of chances to win the game and draw, but unlike their incredible 4-0 win over Anfield against Barcelona in the 2019 semi-final, the ball didn’t roll for the team. Jurgen Klopp on this occasion.
Real, full of experience and know-how, he just got on his nerves and did the job. And this in itself is a testament to the kind of qualities this team possesses, such as durability, patience and tenacity, which are not usually associated with Real Madrid.
When Zidane led the club to three successive Champions League titles in 2016, 2017 and 2018, it was a brilliantly talented team led by Cristiano Ronaldo and bolstered by Gareth Bale in the midst of the season, with Pepe’s defensive solidity behind him. . Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos were also part of Zidane’s hat-trick on Champions League success when each was at the peak of his career.
But when Zidane’s side were knocked out in the last 16 by Manchester City last season, it seemed as if the club were ready for a transition period, with a new wave of players who had to buy and bleed to replace him. ‘old guard. This has yet to happen with Kroos, Modric, Benzema and Ramos, who have a wrong side of 30 years, but despite the obvious decline of this Real team from its height during the last years of the last decade, Zidane they have reached the Champions League Semifinals.
“It’s the character they have. They always want more, the harder the team is, the more they come together. After that, of course, we have more than enough quality, but it’s the character that the players have,” he said. tell Zidane about his players.
Liverpool, despite their domestic problems in a season in which several key injuries have deflected the Premier League title defense, remain a threat to Europe and Klopp’s side could have won this tie comfortably if they had taken their opportunities in return. But Zidane and Real still passed the test and now believe they will be able to be European champions again this season.
They will wait for captain Ramos to be fit and available for the draw against Chelsea, with the center-half missing due to injury before testing positive for COVID-19 and Raphael Varane, who missed both legs. this eliminatory one due to the virus. he will probably also face Thomas Tuchel again.
So Real will continue to know that they will be stronger. But while Benzema remains a world-class center-forward, with 20-year-old Vinicius Junior offering rhythm alongside the Frenchman, this Real team lacks the adventure and star quality of their predecessors. It’s a more prosaic team, with no obvious clutch player, so Zidane has to find a way to make sure Real can beat Chelsea before a final against City or Paris Saint-Germain.
And that is the challenge that, if achieved, will elevate Zidane to a different level as a coach. It would also make him the first coach to win four European Cups, so the story truly makes the 48-year-old gentleman.
Chelsea, with just two defeats in 18 games under Tuchel, will not fear this Real team, but their dismantling of Liverpool in the first leg will serve as a wake-up call for Stamford Bridge. Liverpool left too much time and space for Kroos to wreak havoc with his transfer and Vinicius ’pace caught them.
But Real’s shortcomings in the back were also exposed by Liverpool on both legs and required a performance from the second half from former Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to keep Liverpool at bay.
However, Zidane will be delighted to face Chelsea in the next round instead of City or PSG. At present, City and PSG would go to tie against the Real one like favorites, but in a punctual party in the end of Istanbul, few would eliminate the Real one. When he guided Real to glory on these previous three occasions, Zidane knew he was in charge of the best team in Europe and they proved it every time.
This season, Real are one of the outsiders and it is a position unknown to them, so it will be even more special and significant, if Zidane can design another Real Madrid Champions League win.