Zidane Has Given Real Madrid Ability to Cope with New Pressure at Top of La Liga

Just three games into the new 2016/17 season, Zinedine Zidane has already put Real Madrid where those within the club feel they belong: top of La Liga, looking down on their rivals.

While the team’s start to the campaign in terms of performances has been by no means perfect, Los Blancos have had more than enough tactical and technical superiority to dispatch each of Real Sociedad, Celta Vigo and Osasuna in turn to sit clear in first place of early chasers Sevilla, Barcelona and Las Palmas of all teams.

It’s a new position for Real Madrid to be in under Zidane, and a role within the league which brings a different type of pressure going into each game week—but in his relatively short time in charge, Zidane has brought a variety of traits to the team which will ensure they can cope with the pressure that being the chased, rather than the chasers, brings.

Faster the chase

Since taking over from Rafa Benitez, Zidane’s tenure in La Liga has been all along about chasing Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. It wasn’t his doing, of course, it’s the situation he inherited—but even before the end of last year one of those rivals were caught and overhauled, with Real finishing above Atleti in the final league table.

Now Zidane has his side top by rights, after Atleti and Barcelona both slipped up in the early game weeks and Real Madrid remain the only team with 100 per cent record in Spain’s top flight. Of course it’s horrendously soon to claim anything along the lines of proof or unassailable leads, but La Liga’s recent history makes it clear: There are typically only eight to 10 games in a La Liga season where the eventual champion doesn’t win.

That means Barca have already used up as much as 12 per cent of their allotted slip-ups after a weekend loss to Alaves, and more for Atletico who drew their opening two games. Interestingly, perhaps ultimately crucially, both of Real Madrid’s rivals dropped points against promoted sides each time, while Madrid’s game against similar opponents on Saturday ended in a 5-2 victory.

Assuming Real Madrid can beat Espanyol in Jornada 4, a side who typically rolls over when facing Los Blancos, the chance to stretch their lead at the top arises in Jornada 5 when the Camp Nou is the setting for Barcelona vs. Atletico as Real host Villarreal, …

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