Zinedine Zidane prepares for Real return: Here’s what needs to happen
Real Madrid announced Monday that Zinedine Zidane will return as manager. Here are three things that need to happen if he’s to be successful.
Just 10 months after he left Real Madrid, Zinedine Zidane is set to return to the Bernabeu as manager. The announcement comes after the Spanish giants crashed out of the Champions League, Cope del Rey and La Liga title race in the space of a week.
Zidane replaces Santiago Solari, who has been in charge for less than five months after being appointed by team president Florentino Perez following a poor start from former Spain coach Julen Lopetegui.
The former French international made this prophetic statement upon his departure: “If I’m not sure 100 percent we keep winning if I’ve maybe got doubts, I think it’s maybe time to leave. I think if I was manager next season it would’ve been tough to win titles. We’ve seen in the league and Copa del Rey this season, there have been highs and lows. I can’t forget the domestic campaign that easily.”
Zidane was, of course, right. Real have been a shadow of the team they were over the past three years, which raises the question of why Zidane would return at all, let alone on a three year contract. It seems safe to assume he did so with certain assurances from the board. Here’s what needs to happen if Zizou’s second coming is to be successful.
Reboot the roster
The average age of the team’s starting XI at the time of Zizou’s departure was 29, with most of the regulars locked in contracts through 2021 or beyond. If Zidane were to return, many of those players would have to go.
While Real were always likely to suffer for the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo last summer, the team’s other attacking players — Marco Asensio, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Isco — haven’t exactly stepped up in his absence. While Bale is certainly on the way out, which of the others will be allowed to stay remains a big question.
Perez may be the main reason there have been so few signings over the past few summers, but this is a team that need major changes and almost a complete reboot in 2019.
The attack isn’t the only part of the team in need of an overhaul. Zidane will want to reconfigure the defense and midfield (Toni Kroos and Luka Modric have also had sub-par seasons, Marcelo has been dropped and Sergio Ramos has plenty of detractors). Money isn’t a problem for a club like Real Madrid, even if it means targeting the likes of Neymar or stars such as Christian Eriksen, Krzysztof Piatek and Harry Kane.
More overall control of the team
Zidane isn’t just a short-term solution. His new contract runs through 2022, meaning his real job starts this summer in the transfer market.
There’s no question Real need a lot of new players. It’s harder to say which players they should go after. Perez has never taken are particularly measure approach in the transfer market, and his demand that managers player whoever he gives them has rarely ended well.
When Zidane first took over, he was working with a good squad, and most of his key players were right in their primes. That meant we never saw him tested in a transfer market. That will have to change this summer.
Zidane seems to be one of very few people who Perez will listen to, an if Real are to return to where they were, the two must work closely. That means Zidane needs more control in deciding which players Los Blancos pursue in the summer.
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Experiment with young talent
If there’s one positive to come from this season for Real, it’s the emergence of several promising young players. Vinicius Jr. and Sergio Reguilon have become regulars, while the likes of Fede Valverde, Brahim Diaz, Jesus Vallejo and Dani Ceballos saw opportunities increase.
Zidane also has a track record when it comes to working with younger players, having coached Real Madrid Castilla for two seasons. If there’s anything to be gained from the final months of the season, it may be an opportunity for Zizou to get accustomed with some of Real’s talented youngsters ahead of what’s likely to be a big summer.
Along those lines, this could also be a significant period for Isco. He’s not a youngster, but he’s one of the most talented members of the squad, and unlikely other key players is still in his prime at 26 years old. He’s been strangely marginalized this season, to a point where it seemed likely he would leave the club. With Zidane arriving, that might change. For Real, that’s surely a good thing.