There have been a lot of injuries at Real Madrid so far this season and that has led to some players returning with a bit of rust, so while Zinedine Zidane preaches calmness, supporters are impatiently waiting for that speed and sharpness to return.
It is clear that some players are far from playing their best football at this moment in time, yet Zidane remains confident in the players at his disposal knowing surely that their form will return in the near future.
“For me, there are never problems, only solutions,” the Frenchman said about the current situation at the club.
Real have been adapting to injuries and suspensions all season long and that has led to a lack of continuity in the starting line-up, something Zidane would not have previously envisaged before the season started.
In addition, there are players – such as Luka Modric and Raphael Varane – who want to take care so that they do not pick up any muscular problems, with Modric also keeping one eye on Croatia’s World Cup playoff game against Greece.
Fitness coach Antonio Pintus used pre-season to try and ensure that Real’s squad were starting to reach its peak in August, following the friendlies against Manchester United and Barcelona, but the suspension for Cristiano Ronaldo (which came at a time where he appeared to be on fire, having just scored a wonderful goal in the Spanish Super Cup first leg) and the subsequent injuries to Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale, Marcelo and even Toni Kroos, has led to Zidane feeling that his hands are tied in managing the return of some players.
All of those who have been out with injuries are currently out of form, meaning that other players are having to step up with both LaLiga and the Champions League well underway; yet there is only so much that some of these players can do.
The physical slump and the downturn in form were not anticipated, but injuries have conditioned everything (11 players out with some form of knock so far this season), while Ronaldo’s form to start the season – which he told those close to him was better than the previous three – was halted due to the ban he picked up against Barcelona.
Zidane has stayed calm, as he has done successfully since taking over in January 2016.
He believes that a player who has just returned from injury needs the same time that they were away from the pitch to return to their former selves.
As a result, November should see Real return to the early season form that they had in August.
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