After losing to
Alavés
in
Valdebebas
,
Zinedine Zidane
acknowledged that Real Madrid "alternated good and bad moments."
In summary: two defeats at home against
Cádiz and Shakhtar
and a victory at the
Camp Nou
against
Barcelona
, two victories against
Inter Milan
and a 4-1 defeat at
Mestalla
.
Results and feelings that prevented the team from attacking the first place in the league table and that left their continental future in doubt.
Then came two bad consec nights
utivas, the visit of
Alavés and the trip to Ukraine
, zero points,
the danger of the Europa League
on the horizon and the blunt «
I will not resign
»From the French coach. And there, on the precipice, almost about to throw in the towel and put an end to the project, Zidane found himself again with his footballers and with himself.
«
This we saved, president
», He told Florentino Pérez in his office.
On the pitch, the first opportunity was provided by Sánchez Pizjuán, where the French
he forgot the rotations and gathered his Holy Trinity: Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric
.
The most successful midfield on the football scene in recent years
had only shared ownership in one of the 15 games
from Madrid this season.
It was in that strange defeat against Alavés in Valdebebas, with a penalty by Nacho, an error by Courtois when the ball was thrown and countless white shots that crashed into Fernando Pacheco.
Isco, Odegaard, Valverde, system changes
... Zidane had tried everything, but no center of the field had the desired regularity and balance.
Seville
, Brazilian, German and Croatian formed together.
Like in
Milan 2016, Cardiff 2017 and Kiev 2018
, the perfect continental trilogy of Madrid.
The three understand each other perfectly, Kroos assumes the first touch at the start, Modric is the link between the different attackers and Casemiro his faithful squire.
Madrid made one of the most serious games of the season and Zidane took the victory for Andalusia (0-1).
Repeated orchestra before him
Borussia Mönchengladbach
and the 90 minutes of his immaculate trio handed him first place in a surreal and complicated group stage.
And Casemiro, a pass from Kroos, scored the first of the imposing 2-0 at
Atlético de Madrid
.
The Brazilian was low before
Athletic
(3-1) by suspension, in full inertia, but he returned with his two teammates for the wonderful start of the team in
Eibar
(1-3).
Some annoyances prohibited Modric from playing against him
Pomegranate
, but he returned to score in Elche (1-1) and guide Madrid against him
Celtic
(2-0).
Under the snow of
Pamplona
, Brazilian, German and Croatian shared eleven for the seventh time out of nine possible, with a penalty and annoyances as the only setbacks to prevent full line-ups.
"They know what Madrid is"
Since the recovery of his trio of midfielders,
Zidane is undefeated
, and despite the draws at Martínez Valero and El Sadar, he has restored order to his game.
His identity, which goes directly through his midfield.
«
They are good, very good
'Admitted the French.
"They have a lot of experience, they have been at Madrid for a long time and they know what it is," he reasoned, in an argument that is explained through the data. They have been the three most used midfielders by any coach of the white team since Casemiro returned from Porto, in the summer of 2015. Only
Isco in the 15-16
and
Fede Valverde
Taking advantage of Modric's injury at the start of 19-20, they have crept onto the podium of minutes in some of the last seasons and have avoided the constant triplet of their teammates.
Casemiro, Kroos and Luka are, yes,
oldest trio of midfielders since 2015
.
The three players in their position with the most minutes in Madrid have been four courses, while other important trios in European football have been losing or changing pieces.
Wijnaldum, Henderson and Fabinho
They have been untouchable for three years in Liverpool, Busquets, Rakitic and Iniesta separated in Barcelona and
Koke and Saul
They have been looking for Gabi's replacement for several years. "Madrid is not renewed", their critics will say, but the reality is that Zidane's Santísima Trinidad is one of the best arguments of the Madrid campaign.
23 points out of 27 possible
after the end of the rotations in Seville and the feeling that the three are in the best moment of their season.
After
Varane, Benzema and Mendy
are the field players most used by the French coach, Modric and Casemiro share the second place of the white top scorer with
four goals
, and Kroos has one goal and two assists.
The Croatian, despite his
35 years
, is the fourth player in the squad with the most minutes and with his performances he has gained a renewal that is on the way to materialize soon.
Casemiro and Kroos, with
28 and 31 years
, they have a contract until July 2023 and they feel Madrid as their home, none of them have caused problems for their salary or there have been rumors or interest from other teams in getting their signing.
Know that
it is impossible to get them out of the Bernabéu
.
With Modric giving the last exhibitions of his career, both are, and have deserved to be, a vital part of Madrid in the next five years.
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