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After the CL final: a review, Simeone and his future, Lewandowski, Zidane...

After the CL final: a review, Simeone and his future, Lewandowski, Zidane...

Real Madrid’s dramatic penalty shootout triumph has fast-tracked Zinadine Zidane into premature membership of one of the most exclusive footballing clubs of them all; the road to managerial immortality – should he ever reach it – will surely be a bumpier ride.

When Cristiano Ronaldo smashed home his spot kick following Juanfran’s miss to earn Real Madrid their 11th Champions League/European Cup, Zidane joined Miguel Munoz, Giovanni Trapattoni, Johan Cruyff, Carlo Ancelotti, Frank Rijkaard and Pep Guardiola to become only the seventh manager to win the tournament both as a player and a manager. And he also won it as an assistant manager with Carlo.

The Frenchmen, unquestionably one of the greatest ever players ever to grace the sport, lifted the trophy high into Milan’s night sky just 145 days since taking over at the helm of the biggest sporting institution in the world.

In the words of Sir Alex Ferguson uttered after Manchester United’s unlikely triumph against Bayern Munich in the same competition 17 years and two days earlier, and who on Saturday watched proceedings unfold sat next to former Blancos boss, Fabio Capello, “Football – Bloody Hell!”

‘Bloody Hell’ indeed; both managers – for different reasons – could be excused for coming out with their own language version of the same, or similar, epithet.

So what does the Champions League final tell us apart of course from the obvious fact that this can be a truly cruel game.

It shows us that games are won or lost by the narrowest of margins and that while winning the Champions League may well be a great achievement, it is, in football terms, a long way from being the definition of greatness.

Zidane was indeed a great player – one of the greatest; the jury is still very much out on whether or not he has now qualified to occupy a similar exalted place as a coach. We are not sure yet of what style he prefers, what defines him as a coach. The narrative this season has been that Real had to be in survival mode after the dismissal of Rafa. Would we find out more about Zidane as a manager next season? One would think so but, everytime he has had to play for something important, like getting to the semis of the Champions League or winning it, he has preferred his team to have a lot of the men behind the ball and counter attack. I wonder if Zidane the player would enjoy that brand of football.

And what of Diego Simeone?

In the press conference afterwards he was philosophical and guarded when he said that, “For me it is now a time to reflect, and that’s what I am doing.”

Some sections of the media assumed this meant that he was ‘considering his position’ as Atletico coach, and as we know, in life, and especially in football, assumptions can be the mother of all cock-ups, because nothing could be further from the truth.

With Atletico just a couple of seasons away from a new stadium the message he was sending out is that if Atletico are to achieve this ‘holy grail’ of a trophy then what they need above all is a better striker and a couple of midfielders that can also weigh in with more goals.

When the two sides met two years ago in Lisbon, Simeone’s tired, battered and overused charges already had the la Liga shining in the Vicente Calderon trophy cabinet. Numerous rotational changes made in the league campaign this time around meant they came to Milan with all their eggs in a European basket.

Against a shy, seemingly anxious, Atletico side that didn’t really turn up in the first half, Real probably deserved their early lead although playing more like Atletico that Atletico themselves once in front went very much against what one would have expected from a Zidane side.

Certainly, playing so deep with so many players behind the ball is why Ronaldo, despite a couple of chances, had very little influence in the game, and how, I insist, would the attack-minded Zidane have felt about playing to the system that he set out as a coach once his side had gone in front?

In the end it worked for him – just, and messages coming in to me thick and fast on social media tell me that finals are not about how you play but all about winning, a view once espoused by former Atletico boss, Luis Aragones and almost certainly shared by Simeone himself.

And they’re -I feel- partly right; how you play, maximising your potential, will get you closer to victory. I don’t believe in winning no matter what, because there are roads that take you to win things, and others that make you find your destination often enough by chance.

For those reasons, I am left with the overriding feeling that the best team lost.

Simeone began with the wrong combination in midfield and when Carrasco came on in the second half it looked like he had found the key to victory especially when the Belgian put his side level in the 79th minute.

We’ll never know what would have happened if Antoine Griezmann – rather than sending his early second half penalty early crashing against the crossbar – had displayed the same clinical precision he showed in the ensuing shoot out, but on such details are football matches won or lost.

Congratulations to Real Madrid side because history is written by the winners except that what we saw from this Real side was a team that finished out on its feet simply because they did not have enough of the ball as they would have liked. And, despite the tactics deployed, they are capable of.

What we saw was a Zidane side playing with a caginess not commensurate to the talent available to it and an Atletico side that did all it could – but ultimately failing for lack of quality – to get the better of them.

Champions League over, now the challenges really begin for Zidane.

Following the chemistry clashes and lack of synergy between former coach Rafa Benitez and some of the players, what we have been witness to is elements of Real Madrid in survival mode; out to prove a point.

It remains to be seen what will happen next season with Zidane and his players, when the flames of passion start to flicker as the dashing groom and his blushing bride settle down to the humdrum and day-to-day routines of married life.

One way of injecting more ‘passion’ could come in the form of Robert Lewandowski.

Meetings have taken place with Real Madrid and Lewandowski’s agent, Cezary Kucharski, and his revelations to Der Spiegel that they are talking to Real Madrid suggests to me that there is already an agreement in place for the Polish striker to come to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Now begins the inevitably long and drawn out process of forcing Bayern to sell IF THEY EVER WILL. Lewandowski feels he has done all he can for Bayern and the time is now right for him to go looking for new challenges.

His dream has always been to play for Real and it now falls to him to find a way to force himself out before Real Madrid come in with an offer for him.

That of course will make the Real Madrid front line a little crowded next season. Which, if any, of the BBC combination is going to go?

First and foremost, I believe that Ronaldo will renew his contract and Bale is rapidly becoming the key to this Real Madrid side. This leaves Benzema, although he too has more than proved his worth, so it’s shaping up to be a battle-royal for a place in the side’s starting line-up. Unless the Frenchman is sold, which would be rich after having the best season of his life, despite the injuries.

We are living in strange times. With demand for premium line football talent currently far outstripping supply, the big changes that will take place in terms of transfers will raise huge amount of money.

The biggest clubs are going to be chasing after the very biggest of players; we are all going to be very busy.

But first, a rest. See you soon