Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has revealed that he was left upset and worried over the lack of intensity shown by his side in their 3-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night.
It was a nightmare start to the Champions League for the Spanish giants as they failed to register a single shot on target and slumped to a heavy defeat in their first outing in Europe of the season.
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It’s not how Zidane would have hoped that they would start their campaign in the competition, and so now they must react positively in order to overcome such a heavy blow and ensure that they still qualify out of the group.
Speaking after the game, the French tactician conceded that it was the lack of intensity shown by his side which was perhaps the most concerning aspect of the performance, something that they must get right moving forward to avoid being shackled in the future.
“Clearly they were better than us in every department — in the way they played, in midfield,” he said, as per ESPN. “What upset me is that we did not put enough intensity in the game and at that level of competition, it’s not possible.
“They’re good at creating chances, that’s not what worries me. What worries me is that lack of intensity.
“Failing to create proper chances with the players we have up front — Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Eden Hazard — is a weird feeling. You can play badly but if you have the intensity, if you fight for the ball, you’re in the game.”
That would suggest that Zidane was being critical of his players who were out on the pitch and failed to ultimately match the intensity shown by the opposition.
Tactics and his approach were arguably issues which resulted in the defeat too, but ultimately based on his comments above Zidane was unimpressed with the application of his players and their lack of intensity shown during the game which seemingly was a key factor in their loss.
