Alexis Nunes and Paul Mariner predict La Liga’s notable fixtures from this weekend, but will Real Madrid get back on track under Zinedine Zidane?
Zinedine Zidane’s second spell as Real Madrid coach began with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Celta Vigo in La Liga, as the recently sidelined Isco and Gareth Bale got themselves on the scoresheet.
Positives
The fact that Isco, who had been ostracised under Santi Solari, scored the opener was a perfect sign that Zidane is ready to fix all that has gone wrong this season. Bale’s performance and goal showed there seems to be no hard feelings over the falling out with the French coach last season either.
Negatives
For…
Alexis Nunes and Paul Mariner predict La Liga’s notable fixtures from this weekend, but will Real Madrid get back on track under Zinedine Zidane?
Sid Lowe explains how Real Madrid convinced Zinedine Zidane to return as manager and how he and the club plan to navigate their current issues.
ESPN FC’s Alejandro Moreno explains who he feels should be Zinedine Zidane’s first signings after rejoining Real Madrid.
Zinedine Zidane has said he would love to coach Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe one day.
Zidane, returning to the Bernabeu for a second spell in charge of the team, stressed that his job was to finish the season well before moving on to transfer plans.
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Welcome to the FC 100
ESPN FC’s experts ranked the best men’s players and managers in world football. Check it out.
Flamengo: Tragedy in the Vulture’s Nest
On Feb. 8, a fire at an uninspected youth dorm at one of Brazil’s highest-earning clubs killed 10 young players. How?
The greatest game never played
When Boca Juniors and River Plate were set to meet in Argentina’s most important match, Buenos Aires lost its mind, writes Wright Thompson.
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– Fantasy: Set lineups, check scores!
Asked whether he would like to coach France international Mbappe at some point, Zidane said: “Like with all good players, I would love to.”
However, he said he had not asked Madrid president Florentino Perez to sign Mbappe, adding: “No, not…
Sid Lowe explains how Real Madrid convinced Zinedine Zidane to return as manager and how he and the club plan to navigate their current issues.
Craig Burley tells Alexis Nunes what Zinedine Zidane will give to Real Madrid for the remainder of the season and for the future.
Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale plans to “wait and see” how things go with Zinedine Zidane’s return to the Bernabeu before deciding on his long term future, his agent Jonathan Barnett has told ESPN FC.
The relationship between Bale and Zidane deteriorated during towards the end of last season, with the Frenchman leaving the club in the summer. Bale scored a stunning overhead kick goal in the Zidane’s final match in charge as Madrid beat Liverpool 3-1 in the Champions League final to clinch…
Steve Nicol and Craig Burley applaud Cristiano Ronaldo for his performance under pressure to send Juventus to the Champions League quarterfinals.
Antoine Griezmann said Atletico Madrid “picked a bad night to f— up” after they lost 3-0 at Juventus to go out of the Champions League 3-2 on aggregate.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat trick, his third coming from the penalty spot late on, as Juve turned the tie around to put themselves in Friday’s quarterfinal draw.
Atletico failed to muster a shot on target all evening, and Griezmann said the Spanish side had been outplayed.
Cox: Ronaldo proves the Champions League is his competition
“We…
ESPN FC’s Shaka Hislop can’t understand why Real Madrid would even entertain the thought of bringing back Jose Mourinho to manage the club.
Paul Mariner and Ross Dyer dissect the latest transfer rumours, including Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho making surprise returns to former clubs.
Following their defeats in the Copa del Rey, El Clasico and Champions League, Real Madrid will look to right the ship at Valladolid on Sunday.
Mark Donaldson and Shaka Hislop weigh up which players at Real Madrid should be kept and offloaded to improve the squad in the summer.
Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos has described his club’s 2018-19 season campaign “disastrous” in a social media message to fans.
Madrid’s bid to end the campaign with a trophy ended in a seven-day spell when they were eliminated by Ajax at the Champions League round-of-16 stage — following back-to-back home Clasico defeats to Barcelona, which had ended their interest in both the Copa del Rey and La Liga title race.
Editors’ Picks
Watch on ESPN networks in the U.S.
ESPN+ is America’s home for a host of professional soccer leagues from around the world, highlighted by Italy’s Serie A, Major League Soccer, UEFA Nations League and English FA Cup. |
ESPN+ schedule
Welcome to the FC 100
ESPN FC’s experts ranked the best men’s players and managers in world football. Check it out.
Flamengo: Tragedy in the Vulture’s Nest
On Feb. 8, a fire at an uninspected youth dorm at one of Brazil’s highest-earning clubs killed 10 young players. How?
The greatest game never played
When Boca Juniors and River Plate were set to meet in Argentina’s most important match, Buenos Aires lost its mind, writes Wright Thompson.
– Follow Transfer Talk LIVE
– Fantasy: Set lineups, check scores!
Sunday’s 4-1 La Liga win at Real Valladolid was welcome but did not ease the…
ESPN FC’s Shaka Hislop can’t understand why Real Madrid would even entertain the thought of bringing back Jose Mourinho to manage the club.
Paul Mariner and Ross Dyer dissect the latest transfer rumours, including Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho making surprise returns to former clubs.
Following their defeats in the Copa del Rey, El Clasico and Champions League, Real Madrid will look to right the ship at Valladolid on Sunday.
Mark Donaldson and Shaka Hislop weigh up which players at Real Madrid should be kept and offloaded to improve the squad in the summer.
A training ground clash between Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos and vice-captain Marcelo last Saturday was only a momentary lapse in their close relationship due to the tension around the club, sources have told ESPN FC.
The incident between long-time defensive colleagues Ramos and Marcelo took place towards the end of Saturday’s session at Madrid’s Valdebebas training ground.
Editors’ Picks
Watch on ESPN networks in the U.S.
ESPN+ is America’s home for a host of professional soccer leagues from around the world, highlighted by Italy’s Serie A, Major League Soccer, UEFA Nations League and English FA Cup. |
ESPN+ schedule
Welcome to the FC 100
ESPN FC’s experts ranked the best men’s players and managers in world football. Check it out.
Flamengo: Tragedy in the Vulture’s Nest
On Feb. 8, a fire at an uninspected youth dorm at one of Brazil’s highest-earning clubs killed 10 young players. How?
The greatest game never played
When Boca Juniors and River Plate were set to meet in Argentina’s most important match, Buenos Aires lost its mind, writes Wright Thompson.
– Follow Transfer Talk LIVE
– Fantasy: Set lineups, check scores!
Reports in Spain suggest Marcelo celebrated effusively after his team had won the mini-game which ended the…
ESPN FC’s Shaka Hislop can’t understand why Real Madrid would even entertain the thought of bringing back Jose Mourinho to manage the club.
Paul Mariner and Ross Dyer dissect the latest transfer rumours, including Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho making surprise returns to former clubs.
Following their defeats in the Copa del Rey, El Clasico and Champions League, Real Madrid will look to right the ship at Valladolid on Sunday.
Mark Donaldson and Shaka Hislop weigh up which players at Real Madrid should be kept and offloaded to improve the squad in the summer.
Real Madrid defender Nacho has said there is a “difficult” relationship between the players and boss Santiago Solari — but the dressing room will support their manager for as long as he remains in charge.
Madrid won 4-1 at Real Valladolid in La Liga on Sunday night, bringing an end to their run of three successive defeats, which saw them eliminated from the Champions League by Ajax and beaten in the league and Copa del Rey by Barcelona.
Editors’ Picks
Watch on ESPN networks in the U.S.
ESPN+ is America’s home for a host of professional soccer leagues from around the world, highlighted by Italy’s Serie A, Major League Soccer, UEFA Nations League and English FA Cup. |
ESPN+ schedule
Welcome to the FC 100
ESPN FC’s experts ranked the best men’s players and managers in world football. Check it out.
Flamengo: Tragedy in the Vulture’s Nest
On Feb. 8, a fire at an uninspected youth dorm at one of Brazil’s highest-earning clubs killed 10 young players. How?
The greatest game never played
When Boca Juniors and River Plate were set to meet in Argentina’s most important match, Buenos Aires lost its mind, writes Wright Thompson.
– Follow Transfer Talk LIVE
– Fantasy: Set lineups, check scores!
Solari is expected to be sacked as soon as…
Craig Burley tells Alexis Nunes what Zinedine Zidane will give to Real Madrid for the remainder of the season and for the future.
Zinedine Zidane spoke of a "second project" and repeatedly mentioned "changes" to a Real Madri…
Santi Solari said he had no idea what the future held for him at Real Madrid after a win against Valladolid.
Real Madrid coach Santi Solari praised his team’s “character” after a “difficult week” following Sunday evening’s 4-1 La liga win at Real Valladolid — but the Argentine said he had no opinion when asked if this was his last game in charge of the team.
Relegation threatened Valladolid completely dominated the first half and had already missed a penalty and seen two goals ruled out by VAR calls before Anuar Mohamed opened the scoring on the half-hour mark.
Editors’ Picks
Watch on ESPN networks in the U.S.
ESPN+ is America’s home for a host of professional soccer leagues from around the world, highlighted by Italy’s Serie A, Major League Soccer, UEFA Nations League and English FA Cup. |
ESPN+ schedule
Welcome to the FC 100
ESPN FC’s experts ranked the best men’s players and managers in world football. Check it out.
Flamengo: Tragedy in the Vulture’s Nest
On Feb. 8, a fire at an uninspected youth dorm at one of Brazil’s highest-earning clubs killed 10 young players. How?
The greatest game never played
When Boca Juniors and River Plate were set to meet in Argentina’s most important match, Buenos Aires lost its mind, writes Wright Thompson.
– Follow Transfer Talk LIVE
– Fantasy: Set lineups, check scores!
But Madrid were soon level when a goalkeeping…
Karim Benzema scored twice as Real Madrid picked up a 4-1 win at Real Valladolid.
Real Madrid did not play very well but still got some badly needed respite with a 4-1 victory at a very poor Real Valladolid in La Liga on Sunday.
Positives
Santi Solari’s team at least ended a run of four straight defeats with a victory that keeps them firmly in third place in the La Liga table, mostly thanks to upping their intensity and focus in the second half. They also have one fewer game left to play now until their horror show 2018-19 ends.
Negatives
A remarkably disorganised defence…