Real Madrid crashed out of the Copa Del Rey last night, losing to Valencia in a penalty shoot out. The match ended 4-4 after extra time, and Zidane had this to say about his players: “I’m not happy with the result, but I’m happy with the team. We didn’t win but we fought until the end. I think we played a good match. We couldn’t score in the first half but we played better in the second half and had more chances to score. We played some good football, but didn’t take advantage of those chances. Maybe we lacked a little bit of trust in the first few minutes, but in the second half we played better.”
The European Champions League final is a clash between two of the biggest clubs in the world but, in one way, it is very different from the rest of the season. All the teams have played many times with the same players and everyone knows who the star is, but with Real Madrid and Juventus no one can be guaranteed a starting place.
Cristiano Ronaldo has criticised Real Madrid in the wake of a series of leaks to Spanish media that have seen the forward accused of being disloyal. The Portuguese star is said to have been left upset by the leaks. “Everyone in the locker room was talking about the leaks, everyone was very upset”, he told Spanish radio station Cadena SER. “Everyone knows how I feel about the leaks. “I’ve always said that I don’t care how I’m treated, just as long as I’m treated well. This time they gave me treatment that wasn’t correct, so I didn’t like it”. Cap - César: After all these years, it seems Cristiano Ronaldo still doesn’t know his place (Picture: AP
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Zinedine Zidane has criticised Real Madrid and club president Florentino Perez in an open letter, blaming a lack of trust and “messages leaked to the media” for his decision to quit as head coach. Zidane resigned last week after two years in the job in his second spell in charge, following his failure to land a trophy during the 2020-21 season. He had not spoken publicly about his reasons, with no farewell news conference — until a surprise move on Monday, when he wrote an open letter published in the Madrid-based sports newspaper Diario AS. - ESPN+ announces multiyear La Liga rights deal - Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, Eden Hazard to go? - Déjà vu from 2018: Zinedine Zidane leaves Real Madrid - Sources: Man City eye two-year deal for Ramos “I’m leaving, but I’m not abandoning ship and I’m not tired of coaching,” Zidane said. “In May 2018 I left because after two-and-a-half years, with so many victories and so many trophies, I felt that the team needed something new to stay on top. Today things are different. I’m leaving because I feel the club is no longer giving me the trust I need, it isn’t offering me the support to build something medium-to-long-term. “I know the demands at a club like Madrid, I know that when you don’t win you have to go. But a very important thing has been forgotten here … I’m a born winner and I was here to win trophies, but beyond that are human beings, emotions, life, and I have the feeling that these things haven’t been valued.” Zidane signed for Real Madrid as a player in 2001 and spent five years at the club before announcing his retirement. He later returned as an adviser to Florentino Perez, became assistant coach to Carlo Ancelotti, and managed reserve team Castilla, before taking over the first team in January 2016. He won three consecutive Champions League titles from 2016 to 2018, resigned, and then returned 10 months later. His second spell was more challenging, coming under pressure during 2019-20 — before bouncing back to win the league for the second time as coach — and then again after defeats in La Liga and Europe in October and December 2020. Zidane wrote: Beyond trophies are ‘human beings, emotions, life, and I have the feeling that these things haven’t been valued.’ Getty Images “I want what we’ve done together to be respected,” he continued. “I would have liked my relationship with the club and the president in recent months to have been a little different from that of other coaches. I wasn’t asking for privileges, of course not, but rather a bit more memory. Today the life of a coach on the bench of a great club is two seasons, not much more. For it to last longer, human relationships are essential. “That’s why it hurt me a lot when I read in the press, after a defeat, that they were going to sack me if I didn’t win the next game. It hurt me and the whole team because these messages, intentionally leaked to the media, created negative interference with the staff, they created doubts and misunderstandings.” Zidane praised his players — describing them as “fantastic lads who were with me to the end … when things got ugly, they saved me with great victories” — and reiterated his thanks to Perez for bringing him to the club. “Spending 20 years at Madrid has been the most beautiful thing that has happened to me in my life,” he said. “I know that I owe it exclusively to Florentino Perez who took a gamble on me in 2001, who fought for me, to make me come when there were certain people who were against it. I will always be grateful to the president for that. Always.” The French coach, who clashed with the media last season when his position was at risk, also slammed its focus on “controversy.” “I’ve done hundreds of news conferences and unfortunately we’ve spoken very little about football,” he said. “Without meaning to criticise or teach you lessons, I would have liked it if the questions weren’t always directed towards controversy, that we would have talked more often about the ball and above all about the players, who are, and always will be, the most important thing in this game.” Real Madrid have yet to appoint a successor to Zidane ahead of next season. ESPN reported that Massimiliano Allegri was a leading candidate before he chose to rejoin Juventus, and club legend Raul Gonzalez has been under consideration, with other names also on the shortlist.Real Madrid manager Zidane has criticised the Spanish club’s board and players following a series of leaks that have cast a shadow over his side’s season. “I ultimately have to take the blame,” the Frenchman told Spanish radio station Cadena Cope. “I have to admit that I’ve failed as a leader. I’ve been unfair with the players, and the club has failed to give me the trust I need.”. Read more about véronique zidane and let us know what you think.
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