Was the Spanish coach a wrong choice?
The problems started from Russia when he was sacked for the first time this year. Spain was cruising under the former Spanish goalkeeper and never lost a single match when he held their reigns. In 16 games he managed La Roja were victorious in 12 matches and who can forget that 6-1 win over the young Argentine’s before the WC.
But when the news came that he was moving to Madrid after the spectacle, he started building his own death trap. He did not know that then, but now he does very well.
The Spanish giants were at the top of their form with the third consecutive UCL title and could not afford a defeat in any of their matches. With Cristiano and Zizou leaving the club they had to find someone to replace them and not just anyone could fill those gaps.
Let us take the Ronaldo factor first. Many names were raised- Neymar and Hazard were the primary ones. But nothing materialized. To replace the French master Sarri and Pochettino were the favorites. But we know what happened later.
When Julen came to the club he had a great squad. But his first game ended up as a disappointing start- a loss against city rivals Atletico in the UEFA Super Cup. Maybe he needed more time we thought but nothing changed in the following games.
The players were in the shadows of their previous form. Ramos and Varane were solid at the back last season. Both failed miserably at the back. Real had the best midfield duo in Modric and Kroos, who too were struggling this time around. Isco, Bale, and Benzema are names that meant let-down.
Nobody could replace Ronaldo up front and we saw that in the Clasico, multiple chances squanderedboth Benzema and Bale, well mostly the latter. And if you thought Mariano could replace Ronaldo, boy oh boy, you are daydreaming.
So before you criticize the poor 52-year-old from Spain, think twice and after reading this even hardcore Madrid fans will probably agree with it.