There’s no doubt that Real Madrid were utterly dominant and a joy to watch in Zinedine Zidane’s first spell as manager, but he’s struggled to reach those heights since returning to the club.
He’s still winning trophies domestically because Barcelona are doing a wonderful job of tearing themselves a part, but you can see that teams don’t fear playing them anymore.
Their downfall in Europe has been the most startling aspect of Zidane’s current reign as they aren’t seen as favourites for the Champions League anymore – the reality is that it won’t surprise anyone if they fail to qualify from their group this year.
The French legend has managed to keep speculation at bay for a while by coming up with a big result when he needs it most, but the recent losses to Shakhtar and Alaves have called his status into question.
It looks like he’s still in the job for now, but reports from Spain are suggesting he could be one game away from finally getting the boot:
They travel to face Sevilla this weekend so it’s going to be another tough test, while it’s suggested that a “resounding” defeat will be enough to convince Florentino Perez to sack Zidane.
That’s vague enough to give them some wiggle room if they only lose by a goal or two, but Zidane needs a huge performance from his players now more than ever.