Many think the current situation lies with zidane. Let's get this out of the way immediately. That is 1/4 accurate but be patient for a moment.
Many also think Zidane is clueless and lacking in tactical acumen. Good news! I will explain why that viewpoint is the musings that should be ignored. This is also a good opportunity to discuss other stuff.

I have been making a lot of observations since returning home. To many with unfounded viewpoints, Real Madrid should be doing a lot better. Zidane should be doing a lot better. Real Madrid play "Mierda futbol!". Real Madrid is lucky and fortunate to grind out wins. Zidane is clueless and only our individual talent is bailing us out.

I see a different picture. I have always seen things differently. Instead of making baseless statements and spouting alternative facts, I've decided to observe and make notes of Real Madrid and Zidane. Had to rewatch many games, including the game yesterday, to ensure that the following is as accurate as I am able to interpret and observe.

Tactics are not the problem. Zidane isn't a mastermind like Carlo Ancelotti. He will get there eventually. but the problems that face this great club are far greater than a mere coach. As much as Bill wants to see Zidane gone, even if Flo fired him right now... It would not change a thing. I'm sure Nick would think different but both subscribe to alternative facts. in fact, it will make things worse and derail our current season. Because once again, Zidane is not the problem here. What I observe the problem to be is quite clear. to paraphrase Carville...

"It's the players, stupid!"

Whom is to blame? and why? Where do I begin..?
It has become clear that a good amount of our boys have declined. there is no two ways about. some of our top talent have declined. Let's start with the BBC.

Cristiano Ronaldo, El Kommander, the face that runs the place. He's getting older, getting slower, time is not being nice to CR7. Not as prolific scorer as he used to be. the good? He is a great emotional support and leader! his hunger for goals will ensure he remains a threat always. the bad? he doesnt track back, doesn't run, he wants to be the main focus when time will soon make it so that he can no longer be trusted to be the main focus. I think there is hope but something has to change with CR7 and it has to change soon.

Gareth Bale. His problems is that he is simply not around. too often injured means no consistent run of form. we are literally rolling the dice with this guy. rolling a 10 sided die at that. we hope that we roll a minimum of 7 or 8. the higher the better. thats enough to give opposition much concern. but with him simply not being around, missing games, we are rolling 3s to 6s. and thats not good enough. say he gets a consistent run of games but then all of a sudden, hes hurt again. more games lost, that run of form down the drain. bale's season gets pauses and restarts essentially and thats not good for any of us.

the biggest problem I have observed however is what is hurting the frontline the most. The Decline of Karim Benzema. The biggest problem with this is that Benzema elevates CR7 and Bale to go beyond their abilities and limits. But if Benz declines at any point, the quality of the frontline goes down too.

In truth, I had expected Benzema to decline soon but not for another 2-3 years. For it to come now has hurt Real Madrid and Zidane badly. and this is where things go down the toilet. Benzema does half the link up play he used to. He has gotten sluggish. and ofc he doesnt run either. If Benzema had retained his quality, CR7 wouldn't need to change but sadly it seems both physically and mentally... Benzema has declined. He is still useful. at the very least I can count on Benz being an aerial threat. the BBC is still a high quality frontline but it is a shadow of its former self. To say the current BBC is anything like the BBC was a year ago or the years before, I will laugh in your face. There has been a definite decline. The BBC of the past would easily spank this current mess. Let not the recent triumphs cloud and cover up the decline. We are still very strong but we have lost about 30-50% potency going forward.

Benzema has until the end of this season to recover his quality. I know Benzema's worth. If he really wants to turn things around he can do it. but he needs to change NOW. Regardless how this season ends up. The summer will be key regarding the future. Real Madrid needs to make some very tough choices because as it stands, if nothing improves. the BBC is done. it's over. One of Benzema or both Benz and Cristiano has to go for the good of this great club. I'm sure the club expected the BBC to continue it's exploits last summer. I'm sure Zidane did as well. I expected great things too. After all, we won the CL. the cl deems us the right to be called the best. and we are the best. The BBC is one of the greatest attacking trio this great club has ever seen. But all great things have to come to an end eventually. Time is very cruel and favors nobody. and to remain the best in the world. sometimes some very tough choices have to be made.

and before anyone mentions morata I will say this right now. he is not good enough. impact sub maybe but as starter? Not even once. If betis wasn't a good indicator, you probably need to reassess yourself. Come the summer I feel we require the services of 2 yes 2 forwards. If benzema doesn't change we need a new star cf. and we need to make a decision about cristiano as well. getting older. paid the most. yes he is el kommander but sooner or later, he will decline further and it will come back to haunt us. Benz has already declined. Can we really afford CR7 declining further? And this decline of the frontline has disrupted Zidane's plans as the season moved along. Not much a coach can do with regards to declining of star players. training can only do so much and we all know how diligent CR7 is with his training. Time is cruel to all.

Our whole system revolves around the BBC. What happens if the BBC declines/falters? the current situation that we are in. a lot of things that could have gone wrong has gone wrong. we're doing very well in spite of all of what I said. which is why I deem anyone who thinks Zidane as clueless and lacking in tactics as those who probably support the orange snowflake known as donald trump. a mindless set of misguided followers believing w/e alternative fact that snowflake feeds them. Zidane has adjusted tactics and for better or worse made some calls which can be questionable at times but what choice does he have? iirc, january we had a transfer ban. so any problems that arose couldnt be addressed and wont be addressed until the summer. Zidane has a lot on his plate. A lesser manager would have faltered and we would spiral out of la liga and out of CL. For Zidane to steady the ship as well as he has done is nothing short but remarkable. Yes we're playing ugly. Yes we're playing like poverty clubs but damn it we're still winning and we could be in a much worse position. Zidane, Ramos, CR7 has kept us in when by all accounts we should be losing our games. I can only commend the services of these great men. Talent can only carry you so far. I find the disrespect of Zidane to be unjustified and absolutely vile for these very reasons. How can you expect me to not be incensed by what nonsense I read?

and this just touches the frontline. I haven't gone into the midfield, defense, or Zidane himself yet damn it. But I thought I'd start with the BBC first as the tactics revolve around the BBC and has the most impact on how the team plays. You really think Zidane wants us to play as shit as we have recently? You lot really think this? incomprehensible.

I am grateful to note that not everyone is missing the plot. regrettably, we do have some who will see the forest, not the trees on this section. but I trust not all of you subscribe to the alternative fact nonsense like some are here. just because donald trump has become president doesn't mean the lies and fiction become reality. alternative facts are lies dressed up as fact. a deception that for some reason, many have bought into. Zidane is doing an excellent job given the absolute shit he has been dealt with. I wish Zidane the absolute best as I do not want to be in his position right now. If I were in his position I would surely falter under the weight of pressure these mistakes and misfortunes Zidane has to deal with. Regardless of what happens this season, I will salute Zidane for a job well done. Not everything goes our way and life throws a curve ball or a bomb full of shit. It is too late to contemplate what last summer could have been done to prevent the mistakes from occurring. all Zidane can do is move forward and adjust as we go along the season. in the future regardless of zidane remaining coach or not, some very tough decisions will have to be made.

I will touch the midfield, defense, and Zidane later. I made a long enough post as it is. Win ugly or lose horribly. which do you lot prefer? I prefer to win. I have faith in this team to turn things around. to fight the odds as the odds are certainly stacked against us. That is what it means to have faith in this team and in our coach. and against betis, my faith was rewarded. You lot should learn to have faith. as we should be doing a lot worse than this given our circumstances. Zidane only has my admiration and praise though he could do some things better but I understand the difficulty of his position.

Continuing on from earlier...

With regards to midfield. Kroos is playing more safe and doesn't do a lot of through balls. When CR7 and Benz aren't making runs, it becomes obvious why. See why I started off with the BBC first? They affect the whole scheme. with exception to kovacic and to some extent Isco, none of our mids can push forward. Kovacic has good accel to do this but he doesnt play often. Isco has his dribbling but he has dropped form somewhat. not being a regular does that. Physicality has always been a concern for our midfield. and with Kroos playing more safe recently, limiting our playmaking doing so, really makes the flaws stick out more. Modric is just one guy and he will drop form every now and then. troublesome.

A clear solution is obvious. figure out who to dispose and who to bring in. easier said than done however. Kroos is bringin on assists helping ramos score them headers but I understand some of ye consider kroos expendable. that's a dangerous line of thought imo. he's half the reason we're on top of the table right now.

also comes about the defense. Everyone who has seen ramos play knows his gifts and his flaws. I do not mind ramos but we need everyone else to pick up his slack. Marcelo is a clear problem in this regard. But I don't see us disposing of his services anytime soon. not much to be done here as he has confidence of coach and prez.

with regards to the gk, I'd replace Keylor navas. Don't like our options as courtois is an overrated goalkeeper and de gea while better but not by much... both are difficult to obtain. Do not forget Mourinho is in ManUtd. He won't sell to us willingly. I would be very surprised otherwise. neither of which are cheap. which is a big problem as we need some serious investment upfront right now.

Now I know what most of ye will say with regards to Zidane. "But he had last summer to figure this out", "he should have seen this coming", "Zidane plays favorites with the old guard". But iirc, Zidane asked for Kante, got denied and we almost signed an incompetent midfielder known as andre gomes. Our fine president vetoed Zidane on the premise that we just won the cl last year... "why fix what isnt broken" was the line of thought most likely... regardless, we made some mistakes. one of them being morata. Benzema is having a bad season and is in decline. yet he has 15 goals to Morata's 13. also dwarfs morata in CL 7 to 3. I do not know why Real Madrid brought him back. He didnt even win the starting job at Juve. the number 20...in all competitions in a single season is the minimum required to be considered elite. and Morata in his professional senior career has yet to make it to that number. Carlo made it clear he was not upto standard here. and as it turned out, nothing but more of the same. as time passes, it becomes clear he is not upto standard. I trust we sell him off hopefully for as much money we can get.

Back to Zidane, with morata that was his mistake. he should have known better considering he was Carlo's assistent when morata failed under Carlo. Oh well. Zidane is capable of error. Could he have foreseen what would transpire with the decline of key players? I do not think so. Plus Cristiano and Benz have a lot of weight with them. Benching them is difficult as the setup requires their participation for better or worse. Could Zidane have setup this team better? probably but not without pissing off some players. CR7 must have the main focus or else he throws a fit. Zidane prefers to keep CR7 happy so we had to adjust.

Instead of fixing flaws, we cover them up as well as we can. And the end result plus the decline of the bbc is this: Too much compensating with diminished returns. How does one play nice when we're focused so much on covering the lack of defense from the bbc, the lack of physicality from the midfield, the lack of discipline from marcelo and in some extent Ramos who isnt exactly a great defender to begin with? Midfield has too much to do, the attack isnt doing enough both offensively and defensively, the defense is overstressed by the ineptitude of marcelo. and half of the problems cant be adjusted by a change of coach, has to be an overhaul of the squad in the summer as tactics are being stretched enough as it is and can only do so much as its undeniable our team is not balanced.

I recall reading someone suggesting this club is stable. I would like to point out how ridiculous that notion is.

Say Florentino fires zidane. brings in the coach of your dreams. coach brings in his "philosophy" that some of ye claim we do not have. a couple of months later, its not working out. that dream coach gets fired. do you know what happens to that philosophy when the coach gets fired? Down. the. drain. it. goes. straight up scorched earth every time.
Getting a sporting doesnt change this. just makes transfers and scouting better depending on the quality of the sporting director. thats what they're for.
We're not like Barcelona where they have a philosophy that goes beyond the coach. our philosophies come straight from the coach. with how Real madrid treats those who do not bring in la liga or cl minimum. the ultimate price is paid. we will never be like barcelona so for those who have this delusion. please snap out of it now.

Also, consider where we are at atm. we're late into the season in march. we dropped form, players in decline. every point and match matters now. no room for error. Zidane is being extremely cautious right now. he can't afford to make mistakes this late into the campaign. why do you lot want him to change tactics this late into the campaign? if he tries anything drastic now, our season potentially could go up in smoke. Yes playing defensive sucks but considering the form of the BBC and our excessive compensating for flaws, what choice does zidane have?! Zidane is actually trying to bloody win! Play nice but lose horribly, play ugly but grind wins. I think the choice is clear. Losing is no option for Real Madrid and not for Zidane.

My thoughts as to how this will play out?

We will sell off benzema. This must happen. Benzema would have to deliver 5 star performances starting now if he wants to stay. I do not see this happening given his current form. 15 goals this late into the season is unacceptable. CR7 must find form to justify his need to remaim the main focus of the team. He showed promise against betis as expected of the kommander. I expect CR7 to stay unless we win nothing. Bale won't be sold off. unlikely. young and talented but still playing with dice that one. those injuries are looking a good excuse to sell him off. why bother with someone who cant be relied on to stay healthy?

Marcelo will not be replaced. regrettably the fullback market is lax and for w/e real madrid want brazilian fullbacks even though we should go after carjaval like fullbacks imfo. I do not know the solution to the midfield. any cut out will a be loss in one area. unavoidable unless we sign a world class midfielder to make up for said loss. in this regard I do not want to be in Zidane's position. Zidane would be wise to go for De gea . Courtois can piss right off. unto who should we sign upfront? I hope Real Madrid paid attention to Aubameyang's desire to play here. He is ideal man to replace Benzema.
We also need to sign a backup. morata is not good enough. Sports mentioned to me M'bappe would be a wise investment for that. France always does produce fine young talent. Though imo, i feel we should look to our cantera and give them a chance. where morata failed, one could succeed. Unlike the majority here, I actually have faith in our academy.

Most troubling that majority of fixes can only happen after the end of the season. many things can change from here to now. Benz could pick up form, CR7 shows the world who is the true kommander, our team could pick itself up or flop for x reason. Zidane has been doing an excellent job considering what has transpired so far.
Can't really complain what he is accomplishing considering we're top of the table. Yes we could play better but that is out of Zidane's hands. It's upto the BBC to pick up the slack or continue what they're doing.

All us fans can do is have faith in the team to sort themselves out. I have strong trust in Zidane. He has made some mistakes sure but he is doing the best he can with what he has. Considering our current place on the table and our cl fortunes, Zidane is doing a 7.5/10. cut him some slack already and give Zidane some credit. he is the closest we have to stability.