Zinedine Zidane has set his Real Madrid side a challenge upon his return to the club as coach, which is to win each of their eleven remaining LaLiga Santander matches. The Frenchman replaced Santiago Solari on Monday after a run of disappointing results which saw the club fall out of the Champions League and Copa del Rey as well as falling 12 points behind leaders Barcelona in the league.
Zidane’s arrival has changed the atmosphere around the club and, even though it appears that there is little to play for this campaign, he is hoping to see a reaction from his players.
“I am not saying that we will win LaLiga, but we will try to win the last eleven games that remain,” he said. “And from there, we will see,” he stated.
The real objective is to finish second, currently occupied Atletico Madrid who are five points above Los Blancos, as well as narrow the gap between themselves and Barcelona. An example of this that will give the Madrid dressing room hope is the 2015/16 season, when Zidane first joined as coach.
In Week 27 of LaLiga Santander, Barcelona sat 12 points ahead of them but Madrid ended the season just one point behind. Barcelona claimed the title on the final day but Los Blancos showed fighting spirit which is exactly what Zidane wants to see on his return.
Meanwhile, the return of Zinedine Zidane as coach of Real Madrid has given forgotten-man Keylor Navas renewed hope that he could have a future at the club after being cast aside by Santiago Solari. The Costa Rican goalkeeper was ostracised by the Argentine, who gave Navas very few opportunities in the team. Navas was the first choice keeper at Real Madrid during Zidane’s first spell as Los Blancos coach but the arrival of Thibaut Courtois last summer cast a huge doubt over the player’s future.
However, Navas now sees things in a much more optimistic light and his decision on his future could be changed due to the Frenchman’s return. The 32-year-old started the first three games of the Champions League group stage before Courtois was handed the gloves, while the Costa Rican was not selected for the FIFA Club World Cup.
Elimination at the hands of Barcelona in the Copa del Rey looked to be the last of Navas in a Real Madrid jersey but the return of Zidane could mean that will not be the case. Zidane is well aware of Navas’ qualities and the keeper himself loves the club, with whom he has a contract until 2021, and some first team opportunities between now and the end of the season could be handed to the veteran to again prove his worth.
