• Zidane. "Guardiola is the best coach in the world"

Zinedine Zidane returned to Madrid there in March with a request book under his arm. One of them was the signing of a day laborer on the left side that gave Marcelo a rest. His faith in Sergio Reguilón was scarce and the canterano had to leave in search of minutes. The technician's priority was to recover the best version of the Brazilian -which he placed as headline as soon as he returned- and incorporate a substitute for guarantees. And the chosen one was his compatriot Ferland Mendy , named best left side of Ligue 1 and always willing to take advantage of every minute on the green. Minutes that are already a constant.

He proved his worth again at the Camp Nou, where he started, with a defensive hardness that interspersed with constant appearances in the attack. His good work and the usual injuries of Marcelo have opened the doors of eleven wide. In fact, in LaLiga it surpasses its competitor in minutes -624 by 540-. This Sunday will return from the beginning in the left lane against Athletic, in the last function of a 2019 full of turbulence for Real Madrid.

It was so much the effort of the technician to incorporate him to the staff that he himself was in charge of contacting him by phone before summer. A call in which Mendy accepted without hesitation. Zidane was looking for a side different from Marcelo, always more worried about lavishing himself in attack than watching his back. And the French perfectly fulfilled that role. Regular in the calls of his selection, his energy and physical power have made him the ideal alternative in the left-handed side. Alternative or, probably already, headline.

Integrated behind

Weighed down by muscle problems at the beginning of the course, the former Lyon has taken cruising speed in recent weeks, fully integrated in the rear with Ramos , Varane and Carvajal . Real Madrid have only conceded three goals in the last eight games of the domestic championship. «For us the priority is day to day, that is, LaLiga. Lately we are working very well and we want to continue like this next year, ”Zidane said at a press conference.

More problems has the Chamartín box to score. A decisive factor that he missed in his excellent staging on Wednesday at the Camp Nou, where the lack of forcefulness in the definition deprived him of the three points. "The team is not missing," Zidane defended. «It is true that the other day we missed the goal, but only in that particular game [against Barcelona]. It is clear that we have room for improvement, but we do have a goal ».

12 undefeated matches

Twelve straight games without knowing the defeat accumulates the white box, both in the League and in the Champions League. Since the fateful afternoon of October 19 in Mallorca everything is good news. "They are at their best moment of the season," said Athletic coach Gaizka Garitano , who analyzed the improvement in the Madrid game: "Now they push higher and maybe take more risks in the ball. We have to take advantage of the back spaces they leave and take advantage of our opportunities ». The Bilbao team arrives on a roll, with only one stumble in the last five games. "Winning at the Bernabéu would be the icing on an extraordinary year," Garitano concluded.

Zidane, on the other hand, avoided entering into controversy with video arbitration and did not give continuity to the complaints of some of his players and Emilio Butragueño after the two penalties not indicated on Varane at the Camp Nou. «VAR is important. Technology is a plus for football. Of course it can be improved; everyone wants to improve and that will be done, ”said the coach, who last year lived against Athletic one of the few placid matches on his return to the bench. A bench that Mendy doesn't seem willing to return.

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  • Real Madrid
  • Ferland Mendy
  • sports
  • football
  • First division
  • Zinedine Zidane
  • Marcelo
  • Dani Carvajal

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