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LaLiga Hangover: Zidane’s Marching Real Madrid Look the Right Kind of Different
- Updated: September 19, 2016
It hadn’t been pretty, and there was no celebration for the occasion, but this was one and it felt apt this way.
As the whistle blew, as Cornella seemingly gave a collective shrug that said this is what’s meant to happen, players quietly shook hands and Zinedine Zidane departed immediately down the tunnel. The anticipation had been for something more flamboyant, and Zidane had the look of a man with work to do, and yet the raw facts said the work he’s doing is just fine: His side had won, again.
He’s getting quite good at this.
Real Madrid’s trip to Catalonia to face Espanyol on Sunday was just Zidane’s 24th league game in charge, and the 2-0 win means he’s now won 21 of them. Of those, the last 16 of have arrived without interruption, 12 at the end of last season added to by four more to start this one, breaking a club record from 1960-61 in the process and matching Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona of 2010-11 for the longest winning streak in league history.
Madrid have never been better, or at least so say the record books.
So, have they? Better is a subjective matter, and like they have for much of Zidane’s tenure, Madrid were more functional than fearsome on Sunday.
In a scrappy affair littered with tackling and fouling, the visitors never quite got going, denied any sense of rhythm or comfort by an Espanyol outfit fighting to make an impression to a new manager and new owners that’s taking longer than hoped to materialise. It was Madrid as we’re getting to know them, but the results aren’t wavering and that’s the point. “Addicted to winning,” said Marca.
With a 0-2 win over Espanyol, Real Madrid top #LaLiga & equal Guardiola’s record of 16 consecutive league wins pic.twitter.com/7TiP3ZF8Z7
— AS English (@English_AS) September 19, 2016
A year ago, this is the sort of game Madrid would have lost. Last season, away trips were characterised by a sluggishness that often wasn’t overcome, and alterations to the XI were regularly difficult to work through, particularly against sides willing to scrap. But this was different, and that’s how Madrid look at present—in the right kind of way.
On Sunday, there was no Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale or Keylor Navas. Casemiro was forced off the field with a knock early on, too. Such disruptions have shaken Madrid in the past, but they didn’t here.
James Rodriguez took his opportunity, Dani Carvajal was superb and Karim Benzema overcame questionable fitness to deliver the knockout blow at the end of a flowing team move. The impact of Toni Kroos was significant, too, for the simple fact he now looks like himself again after not looking so for the bulk of last season.
It speaks volumes for what Zidane is achieving. There’s now an evenness in contribution that hasn’t always been there, right across the squad. Already, 12 different names have appeared on the scoresheet for Madrid this season, and their last 11 goals have all come from different players. No longer is there that look of being overly top-heavy; there’s now a sense of structure, balance, of the load and responsibilities being shared and embraced.
Benzema becomes 12th Real goalscorer of the season https://t.co/VENqBJd72B
— MARCA in English (@MARCAinENGLISH) September 19, 2016
You can see Zidane learning, too. When the …
