I was in Cairo airport, on a layover during my journey back from South Africa (regrettably, on Egyptair, though I escaped any adverse situations myself). I was half asleep when, in Arabic, their version of SkySports played the highlights of Real Madrid's second league game of 2016, the first they played under new coach Zinedine Zidane. The Maestro's appoitnment was seen by some as Perez taking the 'Galactico' theme one step too far going now to the man on the touchline. Others saw the Real Madrid legend finally get his shot at the top. Whatever the criticisms or optimisms felt at the time, the immediate result was positive. They won 5-0.
Five months later, Zinedine Zidane and his team stand on top of the futbol world, crowned champions of Europe for the 'Undecima' (11th) time. The five months in-between were a strange journey, that, much like the team did in the final, added up to greater than the sum of each part. Real Madrid were rarely thought of during this stretch as serious contenders, for either the league (Zidane inherited a team in reality 8 points back of Barcelona) or the Champions League. Despite injuries to, at various times, all three of their top attackers, and no real respect given from the footballing comnunity, Real Madrid ended the season just one point behind Barcelona, on a 12-game La Liga winning streak, and winning Europe's top club-team prize.
Zidane's side followed up that initial 5-0 win with a 5-1 win, both at the Bernabeu, both against bottom-half sides. Their first real test was an away match at Real Betis, which Real Madrid drew 1-1. At that point, most everyone thought that Zidane, in the end, wasn't going to provide any real change to the club. He stayed confident, the team stayed confident, and while they stayed unbeaten, the real meat of Zidane's meal at Madrid started when the Champions League kicked off again.
The Champions League has always been Madrid's ultimate goal. They won the first five times the competition was held, back when it was seen partly as an event for a feuding Europe to beat up on each other - games held with strange Government shadows that crept over everything.
They won their ninth title in Zinedine Zidane's first season at Real Madrid, a year that started with him coming over from Juventus for a then-record 75 Million Euros, and ending with a goal worth every cent of that transfer fee, a stunning left-footed volley off a high cross that curved perfectly in the top corner. It was a goal worth of a Champions League title, a goal worthy of a legend of the game, a goal worthy of Zidane. It took 12 years to get #10. It took just two more years to get #11.
Before they got there, however, the team and their manager had to survive a loss at home to Atletico Madrid, injuries at various times to Bale, Benzema and Ronaldo, turning around a 0-2 first leg loss to Wolfsburg in the Quarterfinals, and a slow, boring two-legged win over Man City. The real jewel of Zidane's run, despite how successful it was to that point, was Real Madrid's 2-1 win in the Camp Nou against Barcelona. A great game, to be sure, one that belied the inteligence of Madrid's manager.
In that game, Madrid smartly played back for the first 60-70 minutes, letting Barcelona dominate possession but get no real good chances. Then, in that last 20-30 minutes, Real Madrid opened up and attacked in wave after wave. They ran Barcelona off the pitch that last half hour. It was a reminder of how good they could be. It was also a reminder of how hard they could play for a manager they liked.
While Real's performance was qualitatively inconsistent (it was quantitatively, the best in Europe over the past 5 months) what was not was the way the players spoke about their beloved manager. Zinedine Zidane played recently enough to have shared the Real Madrid locker room with their captain Sergio Ramos, and shared a World Cup Semifinal pitch with Ronaldo. He also played long enough ago that when many of the current squad were growing up dreaming of taking the pitch in big games, he was busy winning them. He inspired his team perfectly, getting his ballyhooed expensive front-line stars to start tracking back on defense. He got his team to commit to being healthier, faster, stronger and more dependable. He brought a squad that was on the brink back together.
The Champions League Final itself was a strange game. The common refrain after it ended was that Atletico Madrid outplayed Real Madrid. For Real, though, the game went the way I expected. Real started out on the front foot, scored the first goal, and then sit back and let Atletico play a very unnartural role as the team with the ball. Atletico Madrid doesn't want to dominate possession. Real Madrid let them. Sure, they ended up giving up a tying goal, but the plan made sense - a less than great front three didn't see it through but it was understandable what Zidane was doing.
In the end, Real Madrid did to Atletico and their pugnacious manager Diego Simeone what Atletico do to others - stay behind the ball, play great defense, snap up a goal, and fight your way to a victory. It says a lot about the way Zidane got his team of talented attacking stars to play that they could win a street-fight with the team thought to have perfected that style.
Zidane, for all his attacking brilliance as a player, seems to have a more stable, defensive approach to managing. He certainly does so in his personal way of managing. Zidane was an incredibly open, calming, introspective influence from the time he took over. He often spoke about the process over the results, on the work rather than the glory. He was ready to go to work with his team, mold them into a harder working group. Mission accomplished there.
It remains to be seen where they go for here. Zidane seems entrenched in his role as manager, not only with the Undecima on his resume, but he may be the one person who could conceivably win a power struggle with Florentino Perez. Real Madrid has a transfer ban looming, but has this summer to retool the team to what Zidane actually wants to do. In his first year, he showed some tactical ability, but more than that he showed more as a manager of people. His players universally love him, shouting their support louder than the critics during the rough time when the litany of wins somehow wasn't good enough. Nothing showed this more than their restrained approach to their title.
The 2015-16 Real Madrid squad won't be remembered as one of all-time greats. The Real Madrid team that won two years likely was better - and definitely played better in their Champions League campaign. But for a man that twice got to the final as a player with Juventus and lost, he may know that the value of winning is more than playing great football. Zinedine Zidane got Ronaldo and Gareth Bale to track back, got the entitled James Rodriguez stuck to the bench, and got the most out of a team that was about to fall apart. Real Madrid won a most un-Real Madrid like title, but for a club that hails their place in Europe most of all, all that matters is the Undecima.
Five months later, Zinedine Zidane and his team stand on top of the futbol world, crowned champions of Europe for the 'Undecima' (11th) time. The five months in-between were a strange journey, that, much like the team did in the final, added up to greater than the sum of each part. Real Madrid were rarely thought of during this stretch as serious contenders, for either the league (Zidane inherited a team in reality 8 points back of Barcelona) or the Champions League. Despite injuries to, at various times, all three of their top attackers, and no real respect given from the footballing comnunity, Real Madrid ended the season just one point behind Barcelona, on a 12-game La Liga winning streak, and winning Europe's top club-team prize.
Zidane's side followed up that initial 5-0 win with a 5-1 win, both at the Bernabeu, both against bottom-half sides. Their first real test was an away match at Real Betis, which Real Madrid drew 1-1. At that point, most everyone thought that Zidane, in the end, wasn't going to provide any real change to the club. He stayed confident, the team stayed confident, and while they stayed unbeaten, the real meat of Zidane's meal at Madrid started when the Champions League kicked off again.
The Champions League has always been Madrid's ultimate goal. They won the first five times the competition was held, back when it was seen partly as an event for a feuding Europe to beat up on each other - games held with strange Government shadows that crept over everything.
They won their ninth title in Zinedine Zidane's first season at Real Madrid, a year that started with him coming over from Juventus for a then-record 75 Million Euros, and ending with a goal worth every cent of that transfer fee, a stunning left-footed volley off a high cross that curved perfectly in the top corner. It was a goal worth of a Champions League title, a goal worthy of a legend of the game, a goal worthy of Zidane. It took 12 years to get #10. It took just two more years to get #11.
Before they got there, however, the team and their manager had to survive a loss at home to Atletico Madrid, injuries at various times to Bale, Benzema and Ronaldo, turning around a 0-2 first leg loss to Wolfsburg in the Quarterfinals, and a slow, boring two-legged win over Man City. The real jewel of Zidane's run, despite how successful it was to that point, was Real Madrid's 2-1 win in the Camp Nou against Barcelona. A great game, to be sure, one that belied the inteligence of Madrid's manager.
In that game, Madrid smartly played back for the first 60-70 minutes, letting Barcelona dominate possession but get no real good chances. Then, in that last 20-30 minutes, Real Madrid opened up and attacked in wave after wave. They ran Barcelona off the pitch that last half hour. It was a reminder of how good they could be. It was also a reminder of how hard they could play for a manager they liked.
While Real's performance was qualitatively inconsistent (it was quantitatively, the best in Europe over the past 5 months) what was not was the way the players spoke about their beloved manager. Zinedine Zidane played recently enough to have shared the Real Madrid locker room with their captain Sergio Ramos, and shared a World Cup Semifinal pitch with Ronaldo. He also played long enough ago that when many of the current squad were growing up dreaming of taking the pitch in big games, he was busy winning them. He inspired his team perfectly, getting his ballyhooed expensive front-line stars to start tracking back on defense. He got his team to commit to being healthier, faster, stronger and more dependable. He brought a squad that was on the brink back together.
The Champions League Final itself was a strange game. The common refrain after it ended was that Atletico Madrid outplayed Real Madrid. For Real, though, the game went the way I expected. Real started out on the front foot, scored the first goal, and then sit back and let Atletico play a very unnartural role as the team with the ball. Atletico Madrid doesn't want to dominate possession. Real Madrid let them. Sure, they ended up giving up a tying goal, but the plan made sense - a less than great front three didn't see it through but it was understandable what Zidane was doing.
In the end, Real Madrid did to Atletico and their pugnacious manager Diego Simeone what Atletico do to others - stay behind the ball, play great defense, snap up a goal, and fight your way to a victory. It says a lot about the way Zidane got his team of talented attacking stars to play that they could win a street-fight with the team thought to have perfected that style.
Zidane, for all his attacking brilliance as a player, seems to have a more stable, defensive approach to managing. He certainly does so in his personal way of managing. Zidane was an incredibly open, calming, introspective influence from the time he took over. He often spoke about the process over the results, on the work rather than the glory. He was ready to go to work with his team, mold them into a harder working group. Mission accomplished there.
It remains to be seen where they go for here. Zidane seems entrenched in his role as manager, not only with the Undecima on his resume, but he may be the one person who could conceivably win a power struggle with Florentino Perez. Real Madrid has a transfer ban looming, but has this summer to retool the team to what Zidane actually wants to do. In his first year, he showed some tactical ability, but more than that he showed more as a manager of people. His players universally love him, shouting their support louder than the critics during the rough time when the litany of wins somehow wasn't good enough. Nothing showed this more than their restrained approach to their title.
The 2015-16 Real Madrid squad won't be remembered as one of all-time greats. The Real Madrid team that won two years likely was better - and definitely played better in their Champions League campaign. But for a man that twice got to the final as a player with Juventus and lost, he may know that the value of winning is more than playing great football. Zinedine Zidane got Ronaldo and Gareth Bale to track back, got the entitled James Rodriguez stuck to the bench, and got the most out of a team that was about to fall apart. Real Madrid won a most un-Real Madrid like title, but for a club that hails their place in Europe most of all, all that matters is the Undecima.
