Marca newspaper: "Zidane's conservatism has punished Real Madrid"
Real's pro-Real newspaper criticized the French coach for reluctantly using his favorite players in the loss to Villarreal in round 19 of La Liga.
"Despite recent poor results, Zidane insists there is no reason to change," the article reads. "His faith in his players remains intact, to the detriment of the team. Of course, Zidane's methods worked throughout 2017, but evolution is the key to building an empire."
Benitez earned 37 points in 18 matches in the 2015-2016 season and was fired. While Zidane only has 32 points this season. Photo:AFP. |
In the first half, the Bernabeu team created a series of dangerous opportunities, including two situations where Ronaldo hit the post. But as the match progressed, Real became more and more exhausted and lost confidence. Once again, Zidane did not show any breakthrough in his substitutions. Lucas Vazquez and Marco Asensio were brought on but did not make a significant impact.
The 45-year-old coach hopes that when Sergio Ramos and Karim Benzema return, Real will have enough "strong soldiers and generals" to defend the Champions League title again. But with their recent decline in form, the possibility of them overcoming PSG in the round of 16 is almost zero.
“Zidane continues to deny the decline of the current squad. That is strange while the winter market is open. Alvaro Morata, James Rodriguez and Pepe left in the summer of 2017, but Real have not found effective replacements, especially the attacking duo. Real coach and players are still supported, even if that will not last much longer."Marcawarning.