Lack of Attitude My Ass

By El Maestro

What do Zidane and a broken record have in common: they both repeat things over and over. Hearing Zidane’s post game press conferences this season after Madrid draw reminds me of the 1993 movie Groundhog Day where Phil Connors (played by Bill Murray) wakes up every morning on the same February 2nd day to the same song and radio transmission. This season, every time Real Madrid has dropped points, Zidane has used the same excuses.

• Lack of attitude.
• Lack of Intensity.
• Lack of focus.
• Lack of energy.
• Etc.

I understand that Zidane is trying not single out any of his players, but the reason behind Madrid’s struggles is very simple. It’s not a lack of attitude or the fact that the star players have a guaranteed place in the starting 11 each week. It’s the fact that there is a lack of balance in the team. Where does that balance lie: holding midfield position. In other words, since Casemiro has been injured, the team has lost its shape. Of course you still need your best players in defense and attack, but a holding midfielder is what gives a team its balance between defense and attack. A holding midfielder takes pressure off the defense, allows the attacking midfielders to be creative, and let’s the forwards focus more on attacking.

I find it funny how so many fans can fall for the “lack of attitude” argument. Lack of attitude can occur with big clubs when they take on more moderate teams, but only on a few occasions. Once the same negative results are repetitive, then the problem must surely be somewhere else. Let’s think about, how can the same group of Madrid players have little motivation to beat a strong Villarreal side (4th last season) in the Santiago Bernabeu (ended 1-1), and yet find that lost inspiration to thrash Legia Warsaw at that same venue. If it is a lack of attitude, then Zidane is a bad coach or these players are the worst professionals of all time, which I don’t think is the case. When Barcelona or Bayern Munich won the treble, do people think they won it simply because they had better attitude than the other team, NO! It’s because they were well balanced and organized, which allowed them to play better than their opponents. We can even use Real Madrid’s Zidane team from last season as an example. During Zidane’s first two months in charge, Madrid wasn’t playing well and had dropped 7 points to Betis, Malaga, and Atletico Madrid. It was also during that time that I heard the same excuses of lack of attitude, intensity, etc. It all changed in early March when Casemiro was included in the starting 11. From that moment on, the team regained its balance and were playing much better. Ironically, I didn’t hear the old excuses of “lack of attitude” from that point on. The holding midfielder is more important than people think, but don’t ask me. Just look at some of the top teams across Europe: Bayern Munich (Xabi Alonso), Barcelona (Busquets), PSG (Krychowiak), Manchester City (Fernandinho), Atletico Madrid (Gabi)

However, the problem is not that Casemiro isn’t playings, it’s the fact that there is no one to replace him. Zidane is still determine to put Kroos in that position, but he’s shown on numerous occasions he can’t play as a holding midfielder. The only midfielder that is a better fit in that position is Kovacic. He’s not a natural holding midfielder, but he can do the job very well. The other option would be to put one of the center backs in that position, though it won’t be possible now because of the injuries. Regardless, Zidane still continues to put Toni Kroos as a holding midfielder. Let’s just hope two things:

1. Casemiro get’s back soon.
2. Zidane comes to his senses and signs another holding midfielder in January (hoping FIFA doesn’t uphold the transfer ban on Madrid).

HALA MADRID!!!