5 reasons why Zidane shouldn’t be sacked even if he fails to win a trophy this season 

And the trumpets have been blared, the bells have been tolling as some sections of the Madrid fanbase want to see the back of Zinedine Zidane. It is funny, isn't it? It was just 5 months ago when all of them were unified in their celebrations of a historic season where Madrid won the double.

And now, they are divided. Some want him gone and others want him to be given a chance.

To be honest, Madrid's erratic patch of now has Zidane's blind faith to be blamed, but that doesn't mean that he should be sacked if Madrid don't go on to win anything.

In fact, if anything, he deserves an elongated run as the manager of the team and here are 5 reasons why...

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#5 Deserves leeway because of recent history

After a trophy-less season in 2014-15, Real Madrid sacked the then coach, Carlo Ancelotti, and hired Rafa Benitez. The decision didn’t go down well with many Madridistas as he wasn’t really among the admired figures among them.

And after half a season, as Benitez lost most of the dressing room, the fears of those Madridistas came to fruition and he was subsequently sacked in January. Zinedine Zidane was appointed as the manager to lead the team for the rest of the season, which was already considered as a damned season anyway.

However, by the end of it, he managed to win the Champions League – something that might have convinced Perez to keep him at the club – and repeated that feat the following season as well, but with the league crown as well.

After a season-and-a-half of mediocrity, this man brought 7 titles to the club in a span of 18 months – so he deserves the leeway that comes with it. And in a sane world, he should get it.

#4 Still respected by the players

Everybody loves Zidane

Having the respect of the players is a great thing and not having it leads to a coach’s downfall – just ask Rafa Benitez. The former Liverpool manager might have been given the entire season had it not been for the player’s disapproval of being coached by him.

And then, on the other hand, there is the case of Carlo Ancelotti. Despite not winning a trophy in the 2014-15 season, the players absolutely adored him and were gutted to see the back of him. Indeed, some of the players actually raised their voices in support of the Italian, which just goes to the show the amount of reverence they had for him.

With Zidane, the same reverence is multiplied tenfold as he has not only managed to win titles as a coach, but was also among the best players in the world during his time on the field. The truth is, no Madrid manager has managed players like he has.

He has been able to keep the squad morale high while also equally distributing minutes among his players. By the end of last season, one couldn’t point out as to what was Madrid’s fixed starting XI.

Hence, sacking him would make the players very unhappy – and that would be a terrible place for another manager to start at.

#3 Madrid's problems are solvable

Madrid desecrated APOEL last night

It is not as though whatever the Frenchman is trying is being put into rut. In fact, if the APOEL game is anything to go by, the opposite is true. After succeeding with a narrow 4-3-1-2 system by the end of last season with Isco in the middle behind the strikers, Zidane seems to have developed a liking for the formation and the Spaniard in particular.

Isco’s abilities as a footballer, too, forced Zidane to consider changing the entire formation to get the best out of his most skilled attacking midfielder. However, teams seemed to have found out the formation and Madrid have been struggling ever since.

Against APOEL last night, the Frenchman ditched the 4-3-1-2 in favour of a 4-4-2 shifting to 4-3-3 in attack – and it instantly rejuvenated the entire team. Lucas Vasquez seemed like a completely different player – the one we saw in 2015-16 – and was toying with the APOEL players with his mazy dribbling.

Asensio, meanwhile, formed a great partnership with Modric and Kroos in the middle of the park. And the forwards? They scored 4 goals combined.

So you see, Madrid can yet go on to win something this season, it is just that Zidane must adapt to the opponent rather than playing his way through the season with a 4-3-1-2.

#2 About time a manager is given time despite failure

Ancelotti was fired just a season after lifting the Champions League

And what if Madrid don’t win a title come the end of the season? What next? If we consider the usual standards of Madrid, then Zidane’s head will be on a pole and a new manager will be brought on to replace him.

For once, Madridistas thought that their manager won’t be sacked after a trophy-less season in 2014-15. And yet, Carlo Ancelotti was fired against the wishes of the fans and the players. And to top that act of audacity, Florentino Perez actually hired a figure who isn’t really liked by the Madrid fanbase.

Once again, Madridistas get the feeling that Zidane will not be sacked even if he doesn’t win a trophy by the end of the season.

And, for the love of loyalty and trust, that should be case. Madrid have already toned down their Galactico policy in the transfers and have shifted their focus to signing young players with massive potential for cheap prices, so it is time they change their manager hiring and firing policies too.

And a good start would be to give Zidane continuity despite a season of failure.

#1 He is freaking Zidane

This is a man that has won everything

Alright, so now onto the most important point. If you just randomly point your finger at an aspiring young footballer and ask, ‘hey, you, who’s your idol?’, that player is most likely to have Zidane in his list. Zizou is not just a manager, he is a legend – an inspiration for the kids that want to grow up and become elite-level footballers.

And it is precisely because of this that Zidane won what he did in his first-half season at the club. Back then, he wasn’t as tactically aware like he started to become in the second half of the 2016-17 season. And despite that, he won the Champions League in 2016 – and that was all because the players not only loved him, but also admired and revered him.

If reverence could make the players play like that and win for him, then imagine what could happen when Zidane gradually improves his tactical understanding. He has already shown shades of it last season – and we could yet see more of it by the end of this season.

In short, you don’t disrespect Zinedine Zidane – you simply don’t.