Does Reaching the UEFA Champions League Final Secure Zinedine Zidane’s Tenure?

When managers take over midseason, it’s not always clear what the expectations are. Sometimes, it’s not even clear if the newly appointed boss is a permanent hire—for every Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, there’s a Gary Neville at Valencia.

Somewhere in the middle is Real Madrid’s current manager, Zinedine Zidane.

Hired to replace last summer’s supremely awkward Rafael Benitez appointment, the Frenchman has found measured success on the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium touchline. 

Overseeing 18 La Liga contests, Zidane has lost just one. Taking 47 points from a possible 54 under their new boss, Madrid have clawed their way to one point behind Barcelona and Atletico Madrid atop Spain’s first division.

With two games remaining, any slip from the top two clubs—and victories against Valencia (H) and Deportivo La Coruna (A)—and Zidane would win the title. That alone would seal his tenure for next season, but banking on Luis Enrique and Diego Simeone collapsing at the finish line wouldn’t be too wise.

Considering the challenge La Liga possesses, Madrid still has one massive fixture to parse: the 2016 UEFA Champions League final. After dispatching Manchester City in the semi-finals, a date with Atletico has been set for May 28 at Milan’s San Siro. 

Likely the bookmakers’ favourites to beat Atleti, Real Madrid are by no means guaranteed to lift their 11th …

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