Zinedine Zidane is now one game away from equalling Leo Beenhaker’s unbeaten record as Real Madrid manager. Real Madrid were 31 games unbeaten, equalling Carlo Ancelotti’s record last weekend after their narrow 2-1 victory over Sporting Gijon. They then beat Cultural Leonesa in the Copa Del Rey last Wednesday 6-1 and were expected to maybe lose against Barcelona in the El Clasico last night.
However, thanks to a late Sergio Ramos equalizer, Los Blancos drew the game and continued their unbeaten run, extending it to 33 games on the trot. The run started back in April 2016 after their 2-0 loss to Wolfsburg in the Champions League last season.
Zidane’s Real Madrid are now in touching distance of Leo Beenhaker’s record, which is also the club’s all-time record for most games gone unbeaten. Beenhaker set the record in the 1988-89 season and within a year and half of management, Zidane now is set to equal that run.
There are still a few records that this Madrid side could beat if they continue to play this way, namely, Luis Enrique’s record of 39 games unbeaten in La Liga and the all-time European record of 43 games without defeat held by Antonio Conte, who set it while managing Juventus in 2011-12.
This Real Madrid team under the enigmatic Zizou have won a number of plaudits from the world of football and have responded and performed well, despite injuries to key players.
Gareth Bale is currently out of the side with an injury along with star midfielder Toni Kroos, while Casemiro and Karim Benzema were also out until regaining fitness recently.
Players like Isco, Lucas Vasquez, Mateo Kovacic and Nacho have stepped up and performed at a high level and have further highlighted just how good they are while also proving that Zinedine Zidane is a master at man-management, despite being a manager for a short amount of time.
It is rather unprecedented that Real Madrid have gone on such a run without key players and even talisman Cristiano Ronaldo has spoken out about how good he thinks Zidane is as a coach.“I was a fan of his as a player and I’m even more a fan of his as a coach. He’s a very good person and a great man. He will continue to learn as a manager.”
Real Madrid now face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League and then Deportivo La Coruna at the Bernabeu in La Liga as they look to extend this unbelievable run.
