Life after Zidane

According to reports, Zidane has told the squad and staff he will be leaving when the season ends. This scares me a bit, is he leaving because the club are not backing him(financially) for next season, or is it really that he thinks a change is a must?

Three options so far are thrown around: Raul, Allegri and Low.

Which do you prefer?

I personally think Perez will go for Raul to be the Yes Man, sign no one and continue to recover for another year.

Get ready for another long nd summer and boring season fellas.

strugahimself wrote:I personally think Perez will go for Raul to be the Yes Man, sign no one and continue to recover for another year.

Get ready for another long nd summer and boring season fellas.

That would be the least surprising outcome.

I hope not Raul. I think we need to go for an established coach.

Raul can easily be another Pirlo/Lampard as easy as he can be another Zidane. It's not a safe bet.

I had posted this in another thread (re Allegri). It’s probably more reverent here.

futbol_bill wrote:Zidane is leaving on his own, has nothing to for with Perez. The rumors of him going to Juve have been there for months!

His leaving says more about his inability or willingness to rebuild a team, than it does about anything about Perez. Zidane had incredible influence over who was signed and who was sent packing. That plus his strength that Nick mentioned of loyalty to his veteran meant not playing and developing the youth on the team.

I don’t know where Arq is getting his info on Raul, but it is totally wrong. Raul’s strength thus far has been developing youth. But I will agree, it is probably too soon to give Raul the 1st team job, much the same as with Xavi with Barca or Pirlo with Juve. He is best to accept one of the offers coming from Germany, gain that experience before returning home to the big job.

Allegri might be the best known coach available, but you have to assume that next year’s team will not be a star studded team and will struggle for any trophies. Note - it is relatively a safe bet to say same about most la liga teams!

Does anyone have any info on how Xabi Alonso did this year? I have often thought the best coaching prospect of all those ex seleccion players in that 2017 coaching class was Xabi. However it may also be too soon for him as well!

The next coach will likely be an interim solution and thus their ability to develop youth  and acquire good affordable players should be the main criteria in that coach selection.

Apparently, Allegri already had a meeting with Flo earlier this week!

After the events of this season, Zidane leaving would be the best things for all parties. And Sports could hate on Madrid fully now which would be a fine addition imo.

Zidane just said he isn't leaving,...

Interesting, but he didn’t say he isn’t leaving!

What he said was he didn’t and wouldn’t tell his players that especially when they are still in contention for liga. He wouldn’t say he is staying only that after next week, he would talk about his future.

That’s incredibly evasive! I guess we just have to wait. Probably best that way.

Would absolutely hate it if you hire Xabi before we do

Then we should go for Xabi. Thanks Hans

Why not try to keep Zidane.?

There are no real options available that suit Madrid.

If he really wants to leave because of personal reasons that's one thing. But hopefully the club is doing it's part to maintain some sort of continuity.

i have to preface this by saying, i dont know the ins and outs of what's going on. i have no inside info, i'm just going off my hunch and observation as a madrid fan who watches the games and some pressers. @cyborg if zidane is leaving, then its his decision, and the club respects that.....i have my theory as to why he wants to leave (if indeed that is true); but it has nothing to do with a dispute with the club or president.

i think if there's a parting of ways, both club and coach are parting on a very friendly and cordial note......its not a sack (cos i'm sure in future media will paint it like there was a sack), its not a dispute. and my theory is very much aligned with the longer post @futbol_bill made....not the full post about xabi and potential coaches, but his second paragraph about why zizou wants to leave

i'll probably expand on my opinions on that later

If Zidane leaves, the new coach has clear out some older players.

Guardiola did it with Barca. He sold Deco, Ronaldinho, Edmilson Zambrotta, Thuram and Eto.

He was criticized heavily, but the club gave him leeway to do it. He implemented his tactics without club interference.

Won the treble in his first season.

This instant success may not happen with a new coach, but it's a good philosophy.

I can't stand the trend of hiring someone, to sack them three months into the season.

You raise some important points, Cyborg. Bottom line whether it’s a new coach or Zidane, several things need to happen, if the club wants to remain in contention. But first and foremost, we all, including Perez, need to recognize we, as well as all Spanish clubs, are in a down cycle and there are very limited funds available.

Basically that means there can’t be a wholesale shedding of veterans rather they have to be fazed out, much depending on availability of transfer funds.

The reality is we don’t have any valued players to sell, like they did last summer to raise significant funds for transfers. The best we can hope for is someone taking Bale off the roster and a stadium sponsorship deal, although that likely is a year away.

They also need to recognize the whole youth movement has not worked out well. They need a coach to play and develop what talent we have and should not have any of this talent on squad that coach will not play, rather those guys need to leant out for development, and if not in any way in club’s plans should be sold.

And the coach needs to ease off the constant reliance on the veteran players.

Also Perez needs to acknowledge that trophies should not be his number 1 priority, rather an acknowledged planned approach to improve over a 2 or 3 year period.

Which all of this means then is between Perez and Flo, they need a fairly drastic changed approach. And if it is not going to be Zidane, then the new coach has to have the capability to implement such a plan.

They also need to improve scouting, to identify good players that don’t demand the ridiculous transfer fees.

And finally, please bear in mind that coaches normally at Madrid, do not get a say in transfers (in or out). Only Mourinho and Zidane had this influence in that past 30 years!! (I.e. not just under Perez). A new coach can express opinions, but they don’t have any final say.

My reading of what likely is going to happen is as follows;

They will try to get Mbappe, possibly offering Vinicius in return. That would leave Hazard (ugh), Benzema and Mbappe leaving Rodrygo, Vinicius or Asensio with a returning Jovic as reserves. Any possible offers to Haaland will have to wait a year, if he still will be available.

I don’t expect much change in midfield except I want coach to fully rotate all 6 transitioning away from the veterans. The six I expect are Modric, Kroos, Casemiro, Valverde, Odegaard returning and Blanco promoted.

On defense, There will be a departure of one of Ramos or Varane. My money is on Ramos staying for another year. There will be the addition of Adaba.
I think they will promote Miguel to backup Mendy and they might renew Lucas to backup Carvajal.
Goal remains the same with Courtois / Lunin

That means departure of  Marcelo, Odriozola, Varane, Isco, Mariano and possibly one of Asensio or Vinicius. Hazard as well if there are any decent offers for him.
And hopefully someone takes Bale on in a loan for his final contract year.

I can only stress what a good choice Jogi Löw would be. You should be all over him. This would be a great thing.

futbol_bill wrote:

Which all of this means then is between Perez and Flo, they need a fairly drastic changed approach.

Do you know something that we don't ?!

Are doppelgänger involved in this affair? Or twins?
Do the socios know about this?
Who of them really got elected?

Lol, nice catch. Obviously a typo. between Flo and Zidane!

futbol_bill wrote:Lol, nice catch. Obviously a typo. between Flo and Zidane!

My main point however was - Jogi Löw as the ideal Zidane successor.
What do you say?

Jodi Low could be a good pick however he is unlikely. Playing the euros is working against him because if Zidane announces he is leaving im 2 weeks, then we would have to wait another month for Low to become available. It’s not practical so it’s an option I rule out.

Allegri would be announced right away and he would start “working” much sooner as well. It’s easier to sign players when you have your manager in place early.

I am not an Allegri fan but he is the biggest name available out there in Europe and that’s why he is likely to take over.

Hapless_Hans wrote:

futbol_bill wrote:Lol, nice catch. Obviously a typo. between Flo and Zidane!

My main point however was - Jogi Löw as the ideal Zidane successor.
What do you say?

I say Nick has summed it up. last time Flo signed an (active) NT coach, it was disastrous, both for NT and RM and yet he has turned out to be a pretty damm good coach!

I say we will know outcome within a week. There is a chance (very slim IMO) that Zidane remains if they manage to take advantage of an Atleti tie this weekend. It’s a bit like the Pirlo situation at Juve, a single trophy and Zidane getting points for getting far in CL with depleted squad of backups and Castiila candidates. However I think that decision is more on Zidane than Flo, given I don’t think he is up to the rebuilding task!

So, based on rumors of Allegri visit to Madrid, one should assume he will be announced next week.

Hopefully the new manager realizes that besides benzema our forwards are going nowhere within Real Madrid.

Vini, Asensio, Isco, Hazard. All completely useless. Keep Rodrygo on as the backup. Either give Jovic/Odegaard another shot or sign someone affordable but established.

So, basically, whomever is around, they need to start Rodrygo over Vini. Seen enough of either to know who honestly would be the better player for Madrid.

Allegri is a clown. But at least we are far away from that absolute loser pochettino. Better a clown who's actually won a title or two than a loser who has nothing but imaginary hype from dead beat arm chair hipsters.

Though in my corner, I'd much rather see Zidane stay. But since this ain't thread for that.... My preference in order: Ancelotti, Raul, ....there's another guy but I can't remember his name atm wtf? What's Guti and Alonso been up to these days?

Thank God Mourinho is already taken up by Roma.

I am following a few coaches but rn they ain't proven or ready so I'm not mentioning them.

You criticize Poch but big up Raul and thinking about Guti and Alonso? Damn, you really dislike Poch lol.

Allegri would be fine as above all else, he is a good and quite competent football manager.

I certainly would welcome Allegri. Like I said we need a experienced coach and actually give him a shot.

I think his style of play will be initially taken negatively but with time and patience it can work