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After a night in Paris that went to Madrid as a return on the old train of the witch, never guessing where the broom was, Zidane reduced the explanation of what happened to the intensity, without stopping in tactical disquisitions. Winning the individual duels, putting the leg, in dress slang, was what, in his opinion, the team needed, despite the obvious structural deficiencies that result from poor planning. Just look at the center of the field, with James as a double agent. Of that, no word. When he arrived in Seville, at least, he was consistent with what he had said. The same as in Paris, plus Sergio Ramos, sanctioned in the Champions League, but with his legs where he wanted. Madrid was another team, hard and supportive in the Pizjuán fryer, and with its Angora cat, Benzema, turned into a wildcat. Football, according to Zidane, is very simple. Maybe the others make it too difficult. We will see, although the leader is always right. [Seville - Real Madrid: 0-1]

The Pizjuán is a special stadium in the special Sevilla. Between anthem, liturgy, titles and footballers who run and run, it is no place for lukewarm. If any team knows it is Madrid, which had only won once in its last eight league visits. Zidane, none. It is his first time. Lopetegui himself, a local coach, suffered in his short period as a Real Madrid player. Julen, the brief began to be written on the grass that is now treading.

To prevent it from happening, Madrid went into fire, with high and intense pressure. Benzema ran like a possessed without the ball. The way to jump to the grass was key to mark the threshold and prevent the outbreaks of Seville in its atmosphere. Sergio Ramos pulled the defense up and Madrid managed to compress itself in a small space, unlike in Paris, where fear led the defense to Courtois's room, somewhat reckless, and left space between the lines for Di María to explode.

Although James was not in his natural space, the solidarity of the team made up for the absence of a third natural midfielder. It was the collective exercise of a team that knows their handicaps. It needs like the water the recovery of Modric and Isco, but now it awaits them from the top and with a discarded Barça. The League is a tournament of communicating vessels.

Sevilla knew in those minutes that a game of lead awaited, with little space to run. Pressing like Madrid, although with more flight in the wings, he looked for Jesús Navas and Reguilón to progress, but Mendy was well warned. The side arrived from Olympique de Lyon is a bone defensively. It has danger in the deployment, but, yesterday, it was not a day for joys.

Monchi, on his return, has rebuilt the Andalusian team with more physical, which allows Sevilla to sustain itself in bad times and maintain very high pressure levels. That was the end of the first half, when the best Madrid could be observed. The central Diego Carlos, Fernando, De Jong and Ocampos put muscle in the grass, in addition to quality. Lopetegui had dispensed with a regular headline in his incipient cycle, such as Oliver Torres, to prioritize what Zidane, individual duels, also wanted to win. At the beginning of the second half, he put Extremadura in the field because he knew he needed something else. It was not enough.

The Basque coach had done the correct reading when he saw how the first period ended, with two key interventions by his goalkeeper. Vaclik won two hands-on hands to Hazard and Carvajal, after the pressure from Madrid led to two passes into space. Benzema enabled the Belgian and James to the side. They were the first two, and only then, occasions of the game, which came as a result of the mistakes of Sevilla. With two teams with such a level of pressure and concentration, it was the only way.

The rest gave relief to Sevilla and returned the domain, but not danger, just bitten bites of De Jong. However, as soon as Madrid found space, Carvajal hurried the line and Benzema arrived at his center, which scored a leader goal. Neither Chicharito, nor the stands removed from their place a Madrid that fought for victory and for their respect.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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  • sports
  • football
  • First division
  • Real Madrid
  • Sevilla FC
  • Zinedine Zidane
  • Julen Lopetegui
  • Karim Benzema

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