Real Madrid, in the midst of a delicate situation following Tuesday’s evening’s 2-0 defeat at the hands of Shakhtar Donetsk, are considering the future of coach Zinedine Zidane according to a report in Marca.
Zidane’s achievements have earned him significant credit amongst the Madrid hierarchy but there’s an acceptance that unless the current situation is improved there may have to be some tough decisions made.
Madrid don’t want to dismiss a beloved figure but will do so if needs must. Two of the names being discussed in the boardroom as potential replacements are Mauricio Pochettino, the first choice, and Raul, currently in charge of Castilla.
Pochettino was close to joining Madrid when Rafa Benitez left the club, but his contractual situation at Tottenham Hotspur was difficult to negotiate and chairman Daniel Levy dug his heels in. Pochettino has never hidden his interest in the position, however, and the conditions of his deal, were they to be pursued, are not thought to be a problem.
Raul, a club legend at Madrid, is another option, but the sentiment within the club is to avoid bringing a young manager into such an unstable situation. He’s absolutely seen as a future first team manager, but not quite yet.
Zidane has maintained that he won’t resign and the players are all said to be behind him, so the initiative may need to be seized by the club if they decide to proceed in that manner. Either way, this next handful of fixtures, Sevilla, Monchengladbach and Atletico Madrid, are integral to his future.
Featured image courtesy of The New York Times.
