Zidane Undermining His Own Authority If He Won't Change Real Madrid's BBC Attack

Real Madrid remain top of La Liga and are two points clear of Barcelona after Jornada 10, following a hard-fought win at Alaves, even if the final scoreline of 4-1 didn't make it look as though Los Blancos had too much to worry about.

While three points were expected, Zinedine Zidane's men had to come from behind to take the win and were given several second-half scares with the score only at 2-1; a pair of late goals from Alvaro Morata and Cristiano Ronaldo gave the end result a more flattering look, but once more Real Madrid's performance was not without its worries for the head coach.

"

FT: Alaves 1-4 Real Madrid

Zidane 26 games unbeaten since April.

Real beat the team away that won at the Nou Camp & drew at Calderon.

— M.A.J (@UItraSuristic) October 29, 2016"

Most perplexing of all was his decision to continue with the underperforming Karim Benzema. While his backing for his compatriot is admirable, Zidane quickly won over the fanbase last season by appearing willing to make the tough decisions and dropping the big names—after all, few are as big as that of Zidane—when required.

He now needs to show that trait again and pull Benzema from the firing line, or else risk undermining his own position of authority and strength that was well-deserved after silverware in Europe, yet can quickly disappear at the top level.

Alaves

Defensive mistakes have hampered Madrid's campaign so far, and the misjudgement against Alaves came early on and from Keylor Navas. Of course, when a goalkeeper errs, the end result is often a goal for the opposition, and so it was this time as the home side went ahead from close range.

Getting Ronaldo back to full fitness and confidence has been the objective of the past month though, and this game will likely be a watershed moment: A hat-trick for the No. 7, despite a missed penalty, and a large all-round contribution to the team's performance.

There had been mutterings about the front three's combination and work rate, their overall performance rather than just their strike rate, and Ronaldo (and Gareth Bale) both put in the mileage against Alaves to put any worries of individualism to the back of fans' minds. More than once Ronaldo could be seen chasing back in the right- or left-back zones, not really being aggressive and defensive but filling a gap, closing off passing lanes and enabling Madrid to break forward quickly in numbers.

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

That positional play is the most important part for a wide forward to play in terms of defensive work, as shape can often be more instrumental in denying the opposition than actual challenges, and there was no shortage of the wide men doing so this time.

But above all else, Ronaldo and Co. need to be hitting the back of the net.

He did so three times, Morata added another off the bench and even Bale scored—though he was flagged marginally offside in the buildup. Amid all of the other positives the team can take from any given match, it is Ronaldo's return to scoring form, confidence and smiles that will be the biggest bonus.

Benzema

While the No. 7 fired, the No. 9 found only dry clicks and empty rounds in his chamber once more. In fact, to belabour the point, Benzema barely got his finger around the trigger, never mind pulling it.

@karlmatchett

The French striker toiled, was lacking in acceleration and had next to zero impact on Madrid's attack, an abject darkened mirror-image of his contribution from last season, even between injuries. When Madrid went in numbers, he held off, lurking outside the area in textbook fashion of an out-of-form, out-of-confidence, unsure-of-himself striker.

An appalling sum total of his performance yielded not a single shot, not a single touch inside Alaves' penalty area, not a single cross attempted, nor a through ball, nor even a dribble in possession, per WhoScored.

WhoScored

Worse still was his link play outside the penalty area.

The least that might have been expected was that he could turn, feed his wide forwards the ball and then join up from deep, but he manages half the number of passes—just two—to Bale, who he plays next to, than Ronaldo did, who plays on the opposite side of the pitch.

FourFourTwo Stats Zone

Benzema did manage an assist in the game, but one which shows just how little attention should be paid to statistics without context: he tried to turn, failed, tried to move the ball, failed, and finally had no option but to prod the ball to Ronaldo. Ronaldo turned, shot and saw his effort deflected over the goalkeeper and in; an assist to Benzema, but he had little purpose in arranging the goal.

Confidence, backing, trust and faith—all must be shown by a manager from time to time. But so too must come a tipping point, and Zidane should have reached his by now with Benzema. After all, he has a more than capable deputy.

Morata

Spanish striker Morata was the only signing of the summer for Madrid, and he is now the team's top scorer this season with seven, level with Ronaldo after his treble.

Against Legia in the UEFA Champions League, Morata came off the bench to score one and set up another. Last week against Athletic in La Liga, he was a match-winning sub. This time again he helped tilt the balance, and even if Madrid were already a goal ahead by the time he entered, it was Morata who made the game safe—and goalscoring is not even chief among his traits.

Add in his brace against Leonesa in the Copa del Rey and the No. 21 is a key player right now.

Against Alaves, his impact was immediate and apparent. Quickly moving out to the left-hand side as has become a trait when playing with Ronaldo, he allowed the No. 7 to be central from restarts, set pieces and in defensive phases for Real Madrid, yet he had the energy and willingness to run the channels and stretch play for his team.

@karlmatchett

That ability and drive to burst forward was not seen once in the game with Benzema in attack, yet it sealed the win for Madrid once Morata was in place thanks to his lob from the edge of the box following Marcelo's long, direct, diagonal ball.

@karlmatchett

He has shown he is worth a place in the XI in the coming weeks. He has shown he is in better form than Benzema, and that he can combine with the top players in the side and bring the best of them.

There's little more Morata can do at this point, and if Zidane still won't alter his side to bring the in-form player in for one so vastly out of shape, nobody can be surprised if Morata reconsiders his options at a later date.

Points of note

• Nacho should now get a deserved chance at centre-back, with Pepe going off injured and Sergio Ramos still sidelined. He must make the most of it.
• Isco's 90-minute performance was warranted, but again it came as a No. 10 rather than in a true 4-3-3. It's a show of faith from Zidane in the Spanish playmaker, but Luka Modric's return will mean a three-man midfield and Isco has not shown the capacity to operate in one.
• Marcelo and Danilo were both generally impressive without excelling, in both halves of the pitch. Considering how imbalanced the full-backs can be at times, perhaps this was a step forward.
• Lucas Vazquez racked up yet another cameo appearance off the bench—he's very much Zidane's go-to man late in matches.