Zidane Answers The Critics By Winning La Liga

A brace from Karim Benzema gave Real Madrid a 2-1 win at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano on Thursday evening. That win, as well as Barcelona losing to Osasuna, was enough for Real Madrid to win La Liga before the final weekend of the season. This is Madrid's first league title since 2017, their 34th league title and their first major trophy since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo. Following their campaign last season where they hired three managers and had a steep falloff, pressure was on Zinedine Zidane to replicate what he did in his first spell as Madrid boss but without the Portuguese icon. It's far to say that the Frenchman have delivered for Real Madrid yet again.

Zidane had a fantastic spell for Los Blancos between January 2016 to May 2018, winning nine trophies in the process including the 2016/17 La Liga title and three Champions League titles in a row, becoming the first manager in the Champions League era to win it in consecutive seasons. However, critics stated that he already had a great squad at his disposal with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Sergio Ramos and Marcelo. His return on March 2019 was going to be a test for the former Galáctico not only to replicate what he did the first time but also revamp an aging squad that he relied on.

Zidane set up his team this season with the 4-3-3 with some key personnel changes. Marcelo and Luka Modric have been heavily rotated this season for Ferland Mendy and Federico Valverde, who have made Madrid less predictable. The emphasis on Madrid this season have been to be solid at the back, something that many do not associate with Madrid. However, that has paid off this season with just 23 goals conceded, the best defensive record in Europe's top five leagues keeping 19 clean sheets. With the expected goals against at 27.8, they have over-performed in that metric. That has been down to Thibaut Courtois and Sergio Ramos. Courtois have been excellent for Madrid, keeping 18 clean sheets and having a save percentage of 78.9% while Sergio Ramos remains a stalwart at the back for Los Blancos. He maybe one of football's biggest villains but he has great this season leading from the back while scoring 10 goals in the league this season.

Zidane's choice in changing up the team was also forced as well. Eden Hazard, who Madrid signed for €100 million, hardly had the impact that Madridistas desired, Marco Asensio has been out for much of the season due to injury, Gareth Bale has hardly played and have depended on their young players in Vinicius and Rodrygo at times this season. However, Zidane relied on Karim Benzema to take the attacking weight which he did. The former Lyon striker has possibly been the best player in La Liga this season, stepping up for Madrid since Ronaldo's departure. He has scored 21 goals and made 8 assists this season with no one else in the Madrid squad coming close to these figures. Despite scoring 13 goals less than rivals Barcelona, the goals were spread around with 21 different goalscorers. The first team in La Liga history to achieve that.

All in all, the credit has to go to Zinedine Zidane. The pressure from returning to the job, injuries, the Gareth Bale situation and their poor start to the season which included a poor 3-0 defeat to PSG in the Champions League, raised questions if Zidane should have come back. His bold choices with personnel, underrated tactical plays as well as finding a different way of winning has enabled Zidane and Madrid to win the La Liga title this season. Following their title triumph, he stated that this is one of his best achievements in his managerial career. Becoming one of Madrid's most successful managers, he is one of the best. Not only as a player but as a manager as well.