Zidane served after Real debacle against Atletico: “It lacked everything”

Coach Zinedine Zidane of Spanish record champions Real Madrid has strongly criticised the performance of his players in the 3-7 clap against Atletico at the ICC. The Frenchman was not at all pleased with the initial phase, with two goals scored after less than ten minutes.

“We started this game very badly,” Zidane was annoyed after the final whistle. “In a competition on a high level we had a very bad start and after eight minutes we were 0:2 behind. There was no answer or anything like that from us. Everything was missing, especially intensity,” he said.

At halftime, Real were 5-0 behind. In the second half the target shooting continued. “You’ve scored seven goals, and you can’t let that happen. The players know that too, and they are disappointed,” added Zidane. However, he also warned against dramatising the game: “You don’t have to overdo it either. It was a prep game. The opponent was better in all areas. That’s all there is to it.”

Despite the mixed results against Atletico, Arsenal (2:2) and Bayern Munich (1:3), the former world-class player, who advised his players not to “look back”, is still optimistic about the new season: “We’ll have a good season, I’m convinced. Today we are unhappy, but apart from that I have a team that is very competitive.”