Zidane Could Lead Real Madrid To Epic Finish, Or a Painful One
By Ty Duffy
Real Madrid’s season did not have an auspicious start. They lost 4-0 at home to Barcelona in November. Rafa Benitez was sacked in January. Cristiano Ronaldo appeared to have lost a step, from his best.
Things have still looked nervy at times under Zinedine Zidane. But, Real Madrid are in roaring form, outscoring opponents 17-3 in their last five matches. Los Blancos are poised for what could be an epic finish.
They are still alive in the Champions League, after overcoming a 2-0 deficit in the second leg against Wolfsburg. Real Madrid begin the semifinal today against a not quite vintage Manchester City team and should be favorites to advance.
Real Madrid remain alive in the Primera Liga as well. They are in third place, but just one point behind co-leaders Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, with three matches to play. They have a manageable schedule left: Real Sociedad (12h – away), Valencia (8th – home), Deportivo (14th – away).
Of course, Real Madrid need both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid to drop points. Atletico face two of the bottom five teams, Rayo and Levante, but has a showdown with 5th place Celta Vigo in the final match. The Celts could be gunning for a Champions League place the final day. The match could also be meaningless.
Then there’s Barcelona. The Catalans are mortal, after being dumped by Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals. But, for the league, that means they can rest players. They finish with Real Betis (13th), Espanyol (15th), and Granada (17th). Those teams are on par with Sporting and Deportivo, whom Barcelona dispatched by a combined 14-0 in their last two matches.
One can see Real Madrid beating all comers and winning the double. One could also see them coming out flat and having the cards tumble. Real Madrid’s two biggest rivals could split the two titles. Worse, Atletico could win both and beat Real Madrid in a rematch in the Final.
It’s not clear who Real Madrid could buy that would whitewash away that disgrace.