While Real Madrid accumulates failures, 90 Minutes delivers once again a fresh, new edition of the Top Five.
This midweek, Zinedine Zidane’s seat got much, much hotter, Arsenal and Manchester City earned their first shot at silverware, Atletico Madrid got eliminated into a dilemma, and Philippe Coutinho made an auspicious debut.
1. The clock is ticking
…on Zinedine Zidane’s tenure at Real Madrid.
Zidane’s side suffered its latest -and greatest- humiliation of this bizarre season, crashing out of the Copa del Rey in spectacular fashion at the hands of Leganes, losing once again at the Santiago Bernabeu.
With the loss, Real Madrid lost its best chance at silverware, given the abysmal point gap in La Liga and the stiff competition awaiting them in Champions League. But the elimination is exacerbated by the equally-abysmal gap between the almighty Real Madrid and Leganes, hence the magnitude of the outrage in Madrid.
Whatever it is that is causing this amazing collapse, all signs are pointing towards Zidane: stubborn team selection, delayed substitutions, inflexible tactics, just to name a few.
The clock is ticking to February 14 and March 6, the Round of 16 clashes against Paris Saint-Germain. Should Real Madrid have another collapse, the result could be much uglier and damaging to Zidane’s already fading reputation.
2. Only room for one
The midweek fixtures in England set up the first championship action of the season.
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Come February 25 in Wembley, Arsenal and Manchester City have a chance to win their first piece of silverware, in what could be either Arsene Wenger’s last or Pep Guardiola’s first at their respective clubs.
Credit is due to Arsenal for overcoming Chelsea in the semifinal in a tightly contested match in which Wenger’s side overcame a 0-1 deficit at the Emirates after losing Alexis Sanchez in a transfer affair that seemed to drag for weeks. But coming up is single-game, neutral-site clash with the team that is head and shoulders above the rest in the Premier League.
City made it Wembley in what was anything but a comfortable tie against the pesky Bristol City, despite what it may have looked like on paper. Some of the flaws exposed by Liverpool in that loss at Anfield, as Bristol managed to score three times in both ties. But once again, City’s potent attack overcame their defensive holes.
Arsenal has quite the uphill battle it wants to salvage some silverware, and stifle City’s great quest for the Quadruple.
3. Welcome, kid
It took some waiting, but Barcelona got a first look at its 160-million-euro investment.
Philippe Coutinho made his Barcelona debut Thursday, playing 22 minutes in Barca’s Copa del Rey victory over Catalonian rivals Espanyol at the Camp Nou. The Brazilian replaced Andres Iniesta to a standing ovation by the home faithful.
It may not have been a headline-worthy debut to say, but those 22 minutes provided a glimpse into what Coutinho could provide, and how he could figure into Ernesto Valverde’s tactics. He was placed in what most consider to be his natural role: the Iniesta role of left-interior midfielder who breaks down defenses with his dribbling, passing, and association.
Within seconds of being on the pitch, the Brazilian provided exactly that, fitting in as if he had been playing with his new teammates for years. He linked up with Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba, and Luis Suarez on that left side, creating give-and-go’s and moving around in classic Barcelona fashion.
It was only 22 minutes, but by the looks of it, Philippe Coutinho will fit like a glove in Barcelona.
4. Where to turn?
Atletico Madrid’s roller coaster season has left them at a crossroads already in January.
Diego Simeone’s side were upended once again by Sevilla on Tuesday, eliminating them from the Copa del Rey. The elimination puts Atletico in quite the conundrum, having also been eliminated from the Champions League, and facing a nine-point gap behind Barcelona in La Liga.
With such a big gap in the league standing, all there is left for the Colchoneros now is the Europa League, a tournament that has been very good to them in times like these. However, Atletico do stil have Valencia, Real Madrid, and Villarreal lurking behind for Champions League spots in La Liga, hence the dilemma.
Should the focus be on silverware or maximizing revenue? Qualifying for Champions League through the league would favor the economic side, while winning the Europa League would put a trophy in their cases in an otherwise inauspicious season.
It is in Diego Simeone’s hands, with plenty of time still to chose.
5. Griezmann’s golazo
While the collective picture for Atletico may look a bit grim, Antoine Griezmann provided a glimmer of brilliance in their loss to Sevilla.
The Frenchman provided the best goal of the midweek fixtures, whipping out this right-footed (his weaker foot) rainbow shot over the diving Sergio Rico, at the time the tying goal for the Colchoneros.