"We did not know how to play with a player more on the pitch and we lost control after the red card", were the words of Gerard Pique Of Barcelona after his team collapsed against Zinedine Zidane's Real Madrid despite taking the lead and
also with a one man advantage after the sending off of Sergio Ramos in the 83rd minute. The problem with the statement that it sounded more like an excuse rather than an acceptance that the better team won on the night .

It was highly unlikely for both Zidane and Real Madrid to do the impossible and end the 35 games unbeaten run of Luis Enrique's side which boasts the highly revered and productive MSN (Messi, Suarez and Neymar). Fast forward to 22:00 on Saturday and Zidane and his charges not only beat Barcelona but did so in style with a man down (Sergio Ramos).

While Zidane was continuously questioned and scrutinised even before the game on his ability to outwit his Barce counterpart Luis Enrique, the stats from the game implies the French man is a "Tactical Genius". Firstly , Zidane fielded a midfield with attacking qualities (Luka Modric and Toni Kroos) which would be balanced by the defensive prowess of Brazilian Casemiro, protecting the back four. In defence, he chose the more defensive Daniel Carvajal instead of Danilo at right back , while allowing the likes of Christiano Ronaldo , Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema the freedom to attack the spaces the high pressing ball possessive Barcelona left behind . Little wonder that Madrid ended up with only 39 percent possession but had more shots on target (seven) to Barcelona's (four). This wasn't all, as the counter-attacking football of Zidane's team was too much for the fragile Barcelona defence marshalled by "Social Media" obsessed Gerard Pique. As a result, Madrid had a goal wrongly disallowed (Bale) and also hit the woodwork.

In the end, Benzema ended up scoring his ninth goal against Barcelona which makes it the team he has scored most goals against with the exception of Granada. Christiano Ronaldo meanwhile , responded to criticism of his form to score the winning goal, moving his "El-Classico" goals to 16 , one more than Raul's with five more to equal the record holder (Lionel Messi).
Under Zidane, Madrid have now won 12 games , drawn two and lost once against City rivals Atletico in Santiago Bernabeu. Zidane has shown that he is the man to build a dynasty in Madrid as his influence has quickly robbed off in a team that looked like it lacked confidence under Rafa Benitez. With his charisma , knowledge and experience it seems Zidane has come to stay in Madrid.

Although Real Madrid still remain off the pace for the title challenge , this win will give them a breath of confidence going into the later stages of the Champions League as they aim to win their 11th Champions League trophy. It also helps to silence the many critics of Zinedine Zidane and Christiano Ronaldo, proving "that while form is temporal, class is permanent" . Zinedine Zidane must therefore be given the resources , time , support and patience to build a "Dynasty" in Real Madrid as his early coaching results have not only been impressive but have been exceptional. One thing is for sure and that thing is that "For a long time now, Real Madrid finally appear to be on the right path".

Source

http://mailtelegraph..com.ng/2016/04/el-classico-zinedine-zidane-silences.html?m=1

Is it true that a good footballer will make a good coach?

Nice one real Madrid, it's good to know that Barcelona can be beaten too in their own backyard.

Over confidence killed Barca, they became cocky cuz of their unbeaten run and were beaten right on their tuff