Zinedine Zidane is continuing to recover from COVID-19, but that does not mean that he is not in charge and aware of everything that is happening at Real Madrid.
The Frenchman coached Los Blancos from afar last weekend against Alaves and is informed of everything that is happening in his absence.
Now, the players recognise that between now and the end of the season, their only objective is to save the season after crashing out of the Supercopa de Espana and Copa del Rey, which means winning a major trophy: LaLiga Santander and/or the Champions League.
Zidane himself also knows this, but the real test will come at the end of the season. There is time for Real Madrid to react before that, as they did against Alaves, and to get back into the fight for the two aforementioned trophies still on the table.
As a starting point for that fight, Zidane's mission is to bring the whole dressing room back together, to get all the players back on board and ready to contribute something to the team, leaving the Copa del Rey humiliation against Alcoyano in the past.
An affected group
Real Madrid's dressing room is not going through the best of times, as renewals, the salary reduction and the difference in contribution of some and others have taken their toll on the group. Zidane must now act as the glue between all the players.
The French coach is the first person that must look in the mirror and change some behaviours, taking a look at those players who have hardly appeared on the pitch in recent months.
Zidane has stated that he is convinced he can turn the situation around. It's not easy and he is aware of that, but if three years ago he thought that the situation as Real Madrid coach was hopeless, now he believes it is not.
He feels strong enough to carry on until the end of the season and try to fight for the LaLiga Santander and Champions League trophies.
In this mission to regain the confidence of the group, players such as Eder Militao, Eden Hazard, Alvaro Odriozola, Vinicius Junior and even Isco have returned to the pitch and, in their own way, have contributed quality minutes.
Martin Odegaard, who has not been able to adapt to Zidane's demands in what has so far been a season to forget, can now redeem himself on loan at Arsenal, once the coach has opened the exit door for him.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com