No respite for Zidane
Real Madrid has released the pressure on Zinedine Zidane temporarily, with another job to repair their dismal start in the Champions League.
Madrid's 3-1 victory over Barcelona in the Clasico on Saturday swerved a third consecutive defeat after losses to Cadiz in La Liga and Shakhtar Donetsk. But the effects of the implosion against Shakhtar, who got 10 first team players missing due to coronavirus infections, still linger, with Madrid sitting bottom of Group B.
Zidane will know a convincing performance away to Borussia Monchengladbach on Tuesday should suspend talk of a crisis and dispel doubts about his future, at least for the present time. Some reports in the Spanish press were even discussing the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino if mistakes weren't rectified at Camp Nou.
"I have been critical of myself, it really is what drives you to boost," said Zidane. "After a loss, as a coach, most of the criticism comes at me and that's normal."Zidane routinely sidesteps the issue of his future, which makes a good nervousness after he resigned so unexpectedly after winning the Champions League in 2018.
Every slip-up is projected as a slump and any doubts feed the theory Zidane might suddenly depart. "Nothing changes," he explained. "This past year? The same. In my own first spell? The same. What I must do is carry out my job."Anything but a good win on Tuesday and the cycle begins again.
Can the 'lifeblood of Inter' keep flow?
After Romelu Lukaku scored his eighth and ninth goals of the new season in Inter's Matchday 1 draw with Gladbach, Gazzetta Dello Sport called the Belgian "the lifeblood of Inter, not only for his goals but also for his capability to transform every ball he receives right into a potential attacking maneuver". Lukaku also struck doubly Inter beat Matchday 2 opponents Shakhtar 5-0 in last season's Europa League semifinal in Dusseldorf. Will the No. 9 bring his shooting boots to Ukraine?
Moscow beckons for rampant Bayern
Any fears that Bayern might fluff their lines on their go back to the UEFA Champions League were dispelled if they mauled Atletico 4-0, extending their epochal European winning streak to 13 games. Los Colchoneros at least halted Robert Lewandowski scoring -- no small achievement presented he had struck six in his previous two Bundesliga matches. Lokomotiv Moscow will remember that Bayern won 5-0 if they last met the Railwaymen in Moscow, in the UEFA Cup in 1995.
Can Liverpool figure out Midtjylland?
After Liverpool drew the Danish champions, Jurgen Klopp said that Midtjylland "has been for a long time one of the most interesting teams". The club's give attention to mathematical modeling and place pieces has induced a stir; indeed, ex-FCM throw-in expert Thomas Gronnemark now gets results for the Reds. Atalanta blew Midtjylland's cool with a 4-0 victory last periods, but Brian Priske's side could yet soon add up to be a handful for a Liverpool team still unsettled pursuing center-back Virgil van Dijk's long-term injury.
