In 2019, after nine months of leave, Zinédine Zidane was happy to return to service as coach of Real Madrid. The Galactic Merengues in the 2000s won three Champions Leagues in a row before retiring. And during his second stint, he was crowned champion of Spain in 2020. It has now been three and a half years that “Zizou” has been an unemployed coach, eternally awaiting the departure of Didier Deschamps from the post of coach of the French team.
However, a return of Zidane to Real is not at all in Florentino Pérez’s plans today. Carlo Ancelotti’s team, Spanish champion and winner of the C1 last spring, is already left behind by Barça in La Liga after a Clasico lost 4-0 at the Bernabéu! The Italian staff is absolutely incapable of finding the right formula to combine Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius and Jude Bellingham. The tactical system changes in almost every match, with an English midfielder lugged from right to left…
Zidane overtaken by Raul
Despite the sporting crisis validated by the second defeat in four days of the Champions League against AC Milan on Tuesday at home, the management of Real does not see itself dismissing Ancelotti for the moment. To believe Marcaif Casa Blanca changes coach during the season, it would turn to technicians likely to play temporary roles until the next offseason and the probable arrival of Xabi Alonso. Santiago Solari and Raul are the two coaches on Real’s shortlist. No trace of their former teammate at number 5.
Raul would be rewarded after five years at the head of Castilla, the club’s reserve team, he the record holder for matches in the history of Casa Blanca (741 matches) and third top scorer behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema (327 goals) . However, he does not have the build of a number 1. Solari, a former coach of the B team like “Zizou” and Raul, had been promoted to interim during the dismissal of Julen Lopetegui in October 2018. Before leaving his place for Zidane four months later.
