Madrid Derby Marks Key Juncture in Zinedine Zidane's Evolution as a Manager

Zinedine Zidane has so far survived the cauldron, but he hasn't yet survived the Calderon.

One is the racing and complex political world of his own club, a sporting institution of both incredible magnitude and self-interest; the other is the gritty, menacing home of a growing rival down the hill, where men in white now need a safety briefing upon entry. For Zidane, it matters that he can survive the latter. 

In his short reign, the Real Madrid boss has faced Atletico Madrid twice but never at the Vicente Calderon. He's seen his side hustled by their neighbours at home at the Santiago Bernabeu and watched as his men returned the favour in Milan. But it's different down on the banks of the Manzanares, where he heads on Saturday. 

Nowhere in Europe does the hostility toward Real match that of their neighbours' home. Fierce, loud and intimidating, it's a throwback compared to the Bernabeu, rough and with holes in each side. For Real, though it's only a few miles from home, it feels like hundreds once inside. Zidane's predecessors will tell him that. 

Both Carlo Ancelotti and Rafa Benitez met the beginning of the end at the Calderon. For the Italian, it was a 4-0 evisceration there in early 2015 that did it, following two years of pain when making the short journey south. For the Madrileno, it was his team's surrendering of the initiative there in the second half later in the same year that ramped up the opposition to his tenure. 

Now it's the turn of Zidane. The Frenchman takes Real across town this weekend at a key juncture in his managerial career. Eleven rounds into the season, his team top the table, are undefeated and lead Barcelona by two points; the basic facts look good, but the team strangely doesn't.

There's a look of vulnerability to Real at present that won't go away. Performances haven't matched results and impressive spells have been few and far between despite a gentle schedule. Throughout, a sense has grown that the team's collective identity is becoming confused. What are Real? Who are they? Which of the many versions is the real one? 

Six months ago, the answers to those questions were clear. Ahead of the Champions League final at the San Siro, it was Diego Simeone who outlined it best, telling the press of his opposite number's work with a clarity that matched what Zidane had established. 

"I take my hat off to him for what he's achieved," Simeone said of Zidane. "He's done very well; he took over at a tricky moment. You can see the players hold him in high regard, and that is reflected on the pitch." 

Beyond the pleasantries, though, it was the Argentinian's assessment of Zidane's Real—who they were, what they'd evolved into— that was most significant. 

"He has helped them rediscover their spark, their speed in attack. Now they make more use out of the speed of their three front men," the Atleti boss said.

When asked how he expected his opponents to approach the final, the certainty was the same: "I imagine they'll play similarly to how they did against Manchester City. Casemiro offers them defensive steel. I expect they'll play on the counter, as they have been doing up until now in the competition."

A week later when Atleti had more of the ball than Real in Milan, Simeone's words looked rather prescient. But more than anything they were a reflection of what Zidane had gently created; it was Simeone expressing a recognition of a rival's tactical coherence, the strength in their encompassing idea and the harmony or understanding of who they were as a team. 

If you asked Simeone the same thing now, however, the answer wouldn't be so clear. 

As this season has progressed, Real Madrid haven't. Not tactically. Not stylistically. The opening months of this campaign should have seen the themes of last season's late surge built upon, strengthening the foundation while adding other elements. Instead, it's as though the foundation is being lost—well, perhaps not lost, but at least drifting from focus. 

Zidane's team between March and May this year were defined by a newfound balance. The 4-3-3 became more of a 4-1-4-1 with a heightened defensive emphasis for the wide men. Casemiro also came in to anchor the system, striking a nice central blend with Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. 

The result was a team that found structure and a sense of purpose: fast from front to back, efficient in front of goal and with just the right dash of conservatism in the team's collective stance. 

Now, though, it's all different. Suddenly, Real look disjointed and messy. At the back, a fragility has returned that Zidane steadily addressed last term; in midfield, the two-way focus has slipped, something not helped by an attack that's both struggling for fluency and intensity. Most concerning, though, is the way the three components of the system have regularly looked to be working independently of one another. 

It's true that injuries have disrupted continuity. Casemiro has been missing for two months, Modric has spent time on the sidelines and now Kroos is there, too. But it's a concern if the system falls apart when particular individuals are removed: The system should underpin the talent, rather than the talent underpinning the system. 

These issues were evident even in victories over Leganes, Alaves and Athletic Club Bilbao. The trip to face Legia Warsaw then showcased them to Europe, when Zidane opted for Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Alvaro Morata in one attack, sacrificing all balance and functionality. Tactically, it was a bit like going all in at a poker table while holding two and seven. 

Zidane would rightly point out his team keeps winning anyway. But critics are also right to point out that Real have had it easy until now.

The men from the Bernabeu have met only one member of the current top five in the league. Three of their four most testing games—Celta Vigo, Villarreal and Athletic—have also come at home. Or, put another way: Real still have to go to the Calderon, the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan, the Camp Nou, Mestalla, San Mames, Balaidos and El Madrigal.

Right now, then, the table doesn't tell the whole story. The sensations might be more accurate and their existence is hard to understand. Real were better six months ago than they are now. The typically valuable commodity of time has seen the illogical unfold; Real's arch is the wrong way around. 

It's why Saturday's trip to the Calderon represents a key moment in Zidane's evolution as a boss. After a brilliant start in which he cultivated an identity both personally and collectively, the wearing-off of new, the fading of freshness, has seen the Frenchman's effect diminish. 

Against Atleti, deploying a talented side and trusting their quality won't be enough. Zidane has to show that he can set up a team to a specific idea; that he can harness strengths and cover weaknesses against opponents with a skill for exploiting them; that he can tactically guide his team through a crunch affair, even with key faces missing and form proving difficult to maintain. 

Until now, Zidane's status, aura and the idea of what he represents has sustained Real and been the bedrock of his management. But from now, something else or something more is needed. It starts Saturday. Surviving the Calderon matters when it comes to surviving the cauldron.

Follow @TimDCollins