“I HAD to go through that”. In Zinedine Zidane’s words, “that” means the end of the season he has just experienced with Real Madrid. “That” means a lot of things: the struggles (5 wins, 4 defeats and 2 draws), the assessment of the squad, the rotation, the lack of pretty much everything (motivation, willingness, fitness, creativity, efficiency) shown by his team.
Since his unexpected return to the Bernabeu at the beginning of March, 284 days after leaving his position, things have been tough for him. But the Frenchman has welcomed the challenge. In his first spell at the club, when he won a lot including three Champions League titles in a row, something no other manager had ever done, some people used to say the he was lucky, that he had a great squad, great players. They could not see, or didn’t want to see, all the work he put in, his man-management skills, how he improved tactically, all the hard work. Not that he cared. He only cared about his team and their achievement together.
However, this is another era starting. This is a different Real Madrid and this is a different Zinedine Zidane.
After the defeat against Betis (2-0) in the last game of the season, ZZ was not deflated when he said those comments. He was not devastated or worried either. He was just being honest. He could have lied and brushed aside the fact that his comeback had not been as successful as he would have wanted. But he was up front. He had to go through this. He has learned a lot since March. Learned a lot about his squad, about himself, about his relationship with the media. He has spent a lot of time talking individually to his players, meeting after meeting, to address their performances, their future, their ambitions.
The 1998 World Cup winner used the last two months not so much to finish as high as possible in the table, although he would have liked better results, but more to prepare already next season.
“We won’t forget how this season went. We will keep it in mind and it will be useful” he said after the Betis loss for example.
He is certainly more bullish than the first time round. He knows he is on a big project, much bigger than in his first spell. He knows how important the task ahead is. He has a big rebuilding job to do. He knows that critics will come for him if things don’t go well, despite what he has achieved before. He is relaxed about it. He is confident he can turn things around next season. Recreate the winning mentality that he installed during his first spell. Making the dressing room a happy place again with a positive dynamic. Getting everyone motivated and committed. Improving the players individually and the team collectively.
No centreback had a higher match rating than Eder Militão in Liga Nos this season. He completed 3.7 tackles + interceptions & 2.9 clearances per game.
Not bad for his first season in Europe, also had some great performances in the CL. pic.twitter.com/7tpFu8BIMK
— Brazil Football (@BrazilEdition3) May 21, 2019
He knows what he needs in the summer to get back to the top. The club and Florentino Perez, the chairman, have promised to back him up financially so he can get the reinforcements he wants to make the team competitive again. Brazilian defender Eder Militao has already signed, which Zidane is very happy with. Rodrygo, the young Brazilian prodigy, will join the squad this summer. Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic, Christian Eriksen and Paul Pogba are four names frequently mentioned. It is taken for granted that the transfer of the Belgian winger will be announced very soon. The other three could happen, while attracting Neymar or Kylian Mbappé is more a dream right now than a possibility. But anything always seems possible with Real Madrid.
At the moment, Zinedine Zidane is in France before going on some well-deserved holidays. But he won’t switch off. He is far too aware of the importance of next season for him, for his own pedigree, for the club and the fans to,o that he wants to get everything perfect before pre-season even starts. He doesn’t want to forget the last two months and wants to use this valuable experience, he is eager to start a new chapter. On a blank page.
