Can Zidane bring glory back to the Bernabeu
With all the recent talk of Real Madrid building an era with their rising stars, it’s time to take a closer look at their current form and whether or not they have turned a corner. Since the start of the season, Los Blancos have looked anything but assured. Thankfully for them, their inconsistency on the pitch has coincided with Barcelona’s dip in domestic form. But in recent weeks, it seems that things are indeed looking up.
At the end of last season, questions were asked of Zidane and his charges. Were they good enough to survive without Ronaldo? Would Bale kick on and become the leading light at the club? Those questions were largely left unanswered, as it’s hard to point the finger of blame at one or two attacking players, especially given that one has spent a great deal of time out injured.
The inconsistency on the pitch has permeated the entire team. From a misfiring attack to a weak midfield, even the goalkeeper has been culpable on several occasions. Oh, how Keylor Navas must enjoy watching La Liga highlights on French television.
Even so, the board has shown remarkable patience for their manager. It’s entirely unlike Real to allow such form to continue unaccounted for, but then Zidane has a lot of credit in the bank.
Now it seems that their patience is finally paying off. Although they have enjoyed a terrible start to the season, recent results have shown that the team is finally clicking once again. In their last eight games, they have won six and drawn two. That’s great form by any club’s standard, but we also must remember that this is Real Madrid and their unforgiving fans expect victory in each and every game.
What’s truly significant though is not the results we just mentioned but the manner in which they were achieved. It’s not quite the swaggering Real of old, but there are signs that confidence is creeping back into the team. The attacking players are starting to find their groove and, while there’s still room for improvement in a leaky defence, they’re not quite as weak at the back as they were at the start of the season.
Summer signing Eden Hazard has still to make a big impression since leaving Chelsea, but the Belgian has finally begun to settle in Zidane’s team. In fact, with both Benzema and Bale starting to rediscover their form, it’s only a matter of time before the three-click to become a truly feared attacking force.
So can they win anything this season? The Champions League might be their best chance of a major trophy, while they have yet to play Valencia in the Supercoppa. Even if Real miss out on a trophy this season, it won’t have been a failure. The signing and bedding of Hazard along with the emergence of their youth team players proves that the future is bright at the Bernabeu.
