ZIDANE’S ROTATION POLICY COULD FACE A SERIOUS TEST THIS SEASON
Last season the les merengues were gifted 31 goals between Alvaro Morata and James Rodriguez, these two players were important attacking options in the reserve bench of Real Madrid which was colloquialy considered as the ‘B team’ of Zinedine Zidane, they had the fire force that was easily suitable for a world class team. Both are quality players and have exhibited their talents both for their national and club teams. The ‘team B’ for the capital’s club side last season was considered the strongest substitution bench in all of Europe, so the rotation policy was an easy experiment to be carried out by Zidane, he noticed that no matter how he fielded his players, he will always have a good attack, midfield and defence. Nacho and Carvajal fully blossomed in the back last season, the former being a versatile defender that can play in any position at the back. Isco rose like a phoenix and has been so elevated in those flames for the past 6 months, it was indeed a splendid season for the Galacticos who retained the UEFA Champions league for the first time in its current format. This season however, 2 of the brightest stars of team B left the club in search of regular playing time, Morata already has 3 goals in 4 matches for Chelsea and James is getting more time under Ancellotti a coach that enjoys his style of play. Real Madrid on the other hand have dropped four points on the table from their biggest rivals Barcelona and this is because the team is lacking a striking force capable of racking in the goals. Karim Benzema the main strike force has lost his form for the past 2 seasons now, and you would think during the transfer window he would be the one to have left while Morata stayed. The Welshman Gareth Bale who plays as a winger has been converted to a centre forward and this position only works well for him when Cristiano Ronaldo is on the playing because then he can come up with the assists, he is more of a supporting striker than a main forward. The star of the team Cristiano Ronaldo is facing a five match ban after pushing a referee in the Super Copa de Espana second leg and for Real Madrid last la liga games they were clearly missing their top star. Rising star Marco Asensio was the savior when Valencia visited Bernabeau; the following week they were suprisingly held to a one all draw in the Bernabeau by newly promoted side Levante. It is important to note that in this match due to Sergio Ramos’ suspension and Varane’s injury, Casemiro a defensive midfielder was force to play deep in defence while Theo Hernandez played behind Marcelo on the left wing.
Zidane’s policy may be tricky this season as the substitution bench is not as experienced as last season. Players will get injured and suspended, players will also need to be rested, Dani Ceballos was amazing last season for Real Betis, Same goes for Marcos Llorente,Theo Hernandez and Jesus Vallejo, they shone in their respective clubs before coming to Real Madrid but they are not as experienced as Pepe, James Rodriguez or even Danilo. It is a welcome development to harness the talent of youngsters, something similar to what Barcelona did with the Mestaia graduates, however the team B of this season may really be tested in some fixtures unlike the team B of last season.
Zidane always backs his players and will tell you he has faith in all of them, he also believes there is no team A or B, that’s exactly what he is to do to boost the confidence of his players but the average Madrid fan may be bothered at Borja Mayoral being the second choice striker now that Benzema is out injured and Ronaldo still facing suspension. It is just the beginning of the season and the Los Blancos should be weary of dropping more points from their rivals as it could be very difficult to catch up with them in the long run.
Zidane has proven to the world that he is a title coach with the help of his team, tactical approach and policies, it is however important for him to groom his young side hastily in order for them to fill in the big shoes left by their former comrades.
We are taking notes. It is still a long season.
By Duminiyk for Urban Central @Duminiyk on Twitter
If you enjoyed this story, please click the 👏 button and share to help others find it! Feel free to leave a comment below.
