And one more ! Winner this Thursday, July 16 from Villarreal (2-1) during the 37e La Liga day, Real Madrid won their 34e title of champion of Spain. Despite this accumulation of trophies, it is not just a simple line in the middle of a thick list like the city directory.
Beyond the pleasure, always renewed, to beat the rival of FC Barcelona, beaten at home at the same time by Osasuna (1-2), the supporters merengues already savor this “Liga”, necessarily like no other, won after a season cut in half by the Covid-19 crisis. In this 2019-2020 fiscal year, there was a world before and another after.
In the first, a sluggish Real was already very happy to point two points behind a slightly more inspired Barça. Zinedine Zidane was not yet a disputed trainer, but he was looking for balance for his team and tore his last hair out while watching his star recruit of the summer of 2019, the Belgian Eden Hazard, accumulate the extra pounds and the injuries.
And then football stopped on March 8. Madrid confined itself and mourned its dead. Three months later, Real offered another face. That of a team that seduced by its mental strength, its clinical efficiency and based its recovery on a waterproof defense (four goals conceded since the recovery).
Since June 14, the Merengues have chained ten wins in a row, including six at home in the privacy of the Alfredo-Di-Stéfano stadium, usually reserved for training and the reserve team match.
The victory of the thirty-something
With this second title of champion of Spain, completed his three Champions Leagues, Zinedine Zidane has proven that great players can also become successful coaches.
Monday evening, after the victory in Granada (1-2), he recalled the importance of the state of mind, that of a team “ determined to do great things after confinement “, From eager players” to spend more time together “
Physically, the people of Madrid appeared more bleeding too. A small victory for the French, who had imposed Grégory Dupont, former physical trainer of the Blues, to manage this area.
Back to his classics, the 48-year-old technician was also able to count on thirty-something still dashing. Luka Modric (35), captain Sergio Ramos (34), Karim Benzema (32) and Toni Kroos (30) were the pillars of this end of the season in cannonball with this youngster by Thibaut Courtois, 28 years, finally imperial in its cages. At the forefront of the attack, Karim Benzema (author of a double against Villarreal) definitely took off this label of former water carrier of Cristiano Ronaldo.
More goalscorer (21 goals) and still as influential in the game, the former Lyon player has never worn his team so much. “Happy are the ignorant, who still do not understand after eleven seasons that Benzema is one of the best attackers in the world, without discussion”, wrote the influential daily sportsman Marca, after his brilliant tailgating for Casemiro, decisive against Espanyol Barcelona, on June 28.
Setien’s broken promises in Barcelona
But this new title, Real also owes it to Barcelona’s coup. ” We have to do our self-criticism: we let this Liga escape us “, Declared, on this subject, a defeatist Luis Suarez in El Mundo Deportivo, Wednesday.
The Uruguayan striker is of course thinking of the loose points en route against Sevilla FC (0-0), Celta Vigo (2-2) and Atletico Madrid (2-2) before this defeat against Osasuna. However, even the victories were slow, almost sad as Barça recited school football, without imagination (like an Antoine Griezmann lost on the ground) and still as dependent on the inspirations of Lionel Messi.
When he arrived in January, coach Quique Setien nevertheless had high aesthetic ambitions for Blaugranas. ” I can’t promise to win, but I promise my team will play well “Announced Ernesto Valverde’s successor.
At 61, the man saw his idealism collide with the reality of a team at the end of its cycle. The recent support of its president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, does not hide the primary objective of the club: to repatriate this summer the club’s darling child, Xavi Hernandez, now stationed at Al Sadd in Qatar.
But the old midfielder still seems to want to take his time, at 40, before accepting this position which seems to him to have been promised since his sporting retirement in 2015. After all, Zinédine Zidane became Real’s coach at 43 after long hesitated over his vocation.
A title to celebrate from “the balconies”
Real Madrid had taken the lead. In a statement, released Wednesday, the club’s management announced that no celebration would be held in the event of a title Thursday evening. Supporters of Merengue were therefore asked not to take over Cybèle’s place (and plunge into its fountain), as local tradition dictates. This decision was taken in agreement with José Luis Martinez-Almeida, the mayor of Madrid. The latter invited fans of Real ” to celebrate the title from their balcony “
With more than 28,000 dead, Spain remains one of the countries most affected by Covid-19, in particular Madrid and its region. Fearing a second wave, local authorities fear seeing scenes of joy, like in Cadiz last week. Thousands of supporters had then invaded the streets of the Andalusian city to celebrate the rise of their club in the elite.
