By Daily sports on December 3, 2020

Zinedine Zidane has the backing of Real Madrid’s board and players, sources have told ESPN, but the coach’s future could be determined by the team’s next three, crucial games against Sevilla, Borussia Monchengladbach and Atletico Madrid.

A 2-0 Champions League group stage defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday had led to speculation that Zidane could be sacked, but multiple club sources have told ESPN that “there is no debate around the manager.”

Those same sources, however, admitted that there is unhappiness at senior level with Zidane’s apparent lack of faith in the squad’s youngsters, and his management of players such as Martin Odegaard and, above all, Vinicius Junior.

The club have high hopes for the Brazil international, 20, and there is a feeling that Zidane does not share that confidence.

Vinicius started Real Madrid’s last four games against Villarreal, Inter Milan, Alaves and Shakhtar – of which the team only won one – on the bench.

Sources have told ESPN the club are not planning to fire a coach who “has given everything” to them and won La Liga just over four months ago.

At the same time, they could not guarantee that Zidane would want to continue if the team suffer another setback against Sevilla on Saturday and are knocked out of the Champions League next week.

“No. Not at all. I won’t resign,” Zidane insisted in his postmatch news conference on Tuesday. “We’ll keep going.”

Madrid’s European future is in their own hands after Inter beat Monchengladbach 3-2 in Tuesday’s other Group B match.

A win against the Germans next Wednesday, or possibly a draw, depending on the other result, would see Madrid through to the round of 16.

Otherwise, they could find themselves in a situation by the end of next week in which they are effectively out of the title race – they are already seven points off top spot – and out of the Champions League.

A change of coach, and especially the hiring of an expensive replacement such as Mauricio Pochettino, would also be challenging from a financial point of view at a time when Madrid are struggling to cope with losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The board met on Wednesday to approve this year’s tighter-than-ever budget. (BBC)

•PHOTO: Zinedine Zidane 

Source Daily sports

Posted December 3, 2020

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