Zidane's Big Gamble Pays Off for Real Madrid with Key Attribute Shining Through
Real Madrid left it late again in La Liga but ended up on the right side of a 3-2 scoreline against Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday night, solidifying their place at the top of the table and setting a new club record in the process for going 35 consecutive matches unbeaten.
All five goals came in the second half, and after Alvaro Morata had hit a long-range first, it was left to Mariano and Sergio Ramos to net the late strikes for Madrid after they earlier fell 2-1 behind.
Another game, another late goal which proved critical, and Real Madrid are impressing with their tenacity and self-belief, a trait every bit as important as technical ability when it comes to a title race—but there were both positives and negatives on a historic day for Los Blancos.
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Woeful, woeful, woeful defensive errors.
Were they not so good at the other end and scored bushel-loads every week, the story of Real Madrid's season would be the sheer volume of chances and goals they give up to the opposition as a result of bad decision-making, lack of concentration or generally poor cohesion in the back line.
There was zero threat to their one-goal lead with half an hour to play, but Casemiro gifted one goal and a combination of Sergio Ramos and Pepe contrived to give the next away for a two-minute turnaround.
What Casemiro, not fully sharp with his touch and mobility yet after injury, was thinking is anyone's guess—at best he was overconfident, at worst he was arrogant to the point of dismissing the Depor attack, trying to dribble around them. An individual error, but the second was arguably worse in a moment Real should have been shocked into a better performance.
Ramos misplaced a pass, reacted too late, failed to get in position to cut out the runner and couldn't make his tackle.
The skipper's saving grace is that he has continually made amends at the opposite end this term after erring in his own half of the pitch, but his defensive work has been pretty shocking again this season.
James outshines rivals again
A huge rotation of the regular XI from Zinedine Zidane raised eyebrows before the game and sent the message that Real Madrid are going to take the Club World Cup extremely seriously indeed: No Cristiano Ronaldo, no Karim Benzema, no Luka Modric, Marcelo, Dani Carvajal or even Mateo Kovacic in the team.
It meant a re-shape to 4-2-3-1 and the attacking line comprising of James Rodriguez, Isco and Marco Asensio, who have been fighting with each other all season long for game time.
Isco has mainly been winning that battle over the past month or two, but it was the Colombian No. 10, James, who had the better all-round performance against Depor. With the key attackers out, it was up to those three to show they could be relied upon, but Isco was disappointing in his lack of involvement and Asensio was downright poor.
It wasn't James' best game by any stretch, but in a direct comparison, he came out on top of the trio.
Marca's Patricia Terroba reported it was the first time Isco and James had been in the starting XI together since a game at Getafe eight months ago, such has been the inability of Zidane to get both into his team on a regular basis.
Tactical tinkerer
Zidane's rotations of the XI weren't the only management issues to note.
His decision to rest his biggest stars looked risky at the break, uninspiring as the play was and the scores locked at 0-0, but when his team fell behind, Zidane didn't rest or wait to see if the incoming names could make the difference.
He reacted, and reacted well.
Lucas Vazquez was the first introduction, bringing pace, aggression in possession and a direct style—and he notched an assist. Mariano came on, raw but full of determination to impact and show he was worthy of being part of the squad, and scored thanks to his utter force of will to be in key areas. And, when the first wave of subs didn't go to plan, Marcelo came on with instructions to alter the shape, with a 3-5-2 base to see out the game, with the Brazilian and Lucas nominally as wing-backs, but really as high-placed wingers, leaving Nacho, Ramos and Pepe to hold the fort at the back.
Zidane made his choices, and ultimately they panned out—just as they have done to one extent or another in each of the 35 games during this run.
"The substitutions played their part and it was a good game from everyone," said Zidane post-game, per Euan McTear of Marca, and it's true the subs impacted—but it was he who chose them, he who altered the setup and he who deserves credit, just as he'd have been criticised for fielding a weakened team if Depor had hung on to win.
Above all else: It's never over
But they didn't hang on to win, and it's thanks to Madrid's incredible resilience and willingness to go to the last, to fight until the whistle goes and always believe they have another goal in them. Usually, they do.
"If you fight to the very end with hope, trust and enthusiasm then this kind of thing can happen," said Ramos, per McTear, and for all his defensive faults, he can never be criticised for lacking aggression, belief and great timing.
Depor are now added to a list comprising Sevilla, Real Sociedad, Sporting CP (twice), Cultural (twice), Alaves, Legia Warsaw and Barcelona, who Los Blancos have scored against in the 85th minute or later just this season.
It's an incredible trait for a team to have and will come in useful on more than one occasion...but maybe Zidane would like, just a few times, for his team to not have to score those late goals in notable matches.
Next up, the Club World Cup, where Real will fight for the title of the best team on the planet. If they return to Spain unbeaten in 37 and chasing down Barcelona's Spanish record of 39, it'd be hard to argue against it.
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