Up until November, Rafa's Real had not lost in any of his first 14 games, but not without warning signs in the 3-1 win at Celta Vigo and then again in the fortuitous 1-0 success at home to Paris Saint-Germain. Too reliant upon the heroics of goalkeeper Keylor Navas, they were soon found out.
Next came a 3-2 loss at Sevilla when the players lost control after
Ramos departed through injury and then the 4-0 defeat against Barca set
serious alarm bells ringing. The result was bad enough, but it could
have been far worse as Madrid were humiliated at home to their fiercest
rivals. And Rafa has been on the brink ever since.The defeat at Villarreal before Christmas was another disappointment as Real failed to gain ground on Barca, while huge wins over Malmo (8-0) and Rayo Vallecano (10-2) did little to raise morale - particularly as the latter only arrived after their rivals were reduced to nine men at the Bernabeu.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez showered Zinedine Zidane with praise at the Frenchman's official unveiling as Rafael Benitez's replacement as coach.
The former Liverpool, Napoli and Inter boss was shown the door on Monday after drawing 2-2 at Valencia in what proved to be his final match in charge, having twice relinquished the lead.
In a short press conference, Perez backed the former Madrid playing legend to succeed in his first top coaching appointment.
"We stand before a great professional and a magnificent person. We are grateful for his dedication in these months," the president said of Benitez, before unveiling the new man on the Madrid bench.
"[Zidane] is without a doubt one of the biggest figures in football history. He knows better than anyone what it means to be at the head of the Real Madrid squad.
"He knows how hard this bench is, he knows these players and with him as our assistant the 10th European Cup (Champions League) was achieved.
The 1998 World Cup winner and Blancos legend showed his delight in succeeding Benitez, and set his sights on silverware by the end of his first season.
Zinedine Zidane has thanked Real Madrid president Florentino Perez for the opportunity to replace Rafa Benitez as coach.The Frenchman was presented as the latest trainer of the Spanish giants by Perez, who removed Benitez from his post after less than a season.
And the former Castilla boss, who will move up to the first-team with immediate effect, expressed his delight at receiving the call.
“I want to thank the club and you, president, for giving me the chance to coach this great team,” Zidane told a press conference on Monday evening.
"Today is a very exciting day for me, even more so than when I signed as a player. I am going to give all my heart for this club."
In a short statement, Zidane added that he was determined to win a trophy in his maiden season.
“We have the best team and the best supporters in the world. I will do everything possible to win something this season," he told reporters. “The most important thing is to be with the team tomorrow (Tuesday, Jan 5 2016) to start working."
Follow us on
Twitter: @bizarre_comms
Facebook: Bizarre Communications
Email: bizarrecommunications@gmail.com
0 comments: