The Duodécima and Beyond: Cardiff's Final from Real Madrid's Perspective

Both teams have been crowned champions of their domestic leagues with a record 33 titles. Both had to face European giants in the knockout stages on route to the final. To play a third Champions League final in the space of four years is a mighty achievement for Real Madrid; winning the competition for the sixth time in its new format and for twelve times in total would be nothing short of eternal football glory for the competition's most successful club ever. In the way, stands a fantastic Juventus team, looking to end the curse of failure in European finals and to crown almost six years of Italian football domination with deserved continental success. It really has been a very long time since a final match has been this equivalent and balanced.

Below, the major talking points from the perspective of Real Madrid concerning their quest for the Duodécima in the Cardiff showpiece are detailed.

1. Ignore the Politics: Isco Should Start Ahead of Bale

In any other club, and under the current circumstances, the question of whether Gareth Bale or Isco should be in Zidane's starting XI would not be even up to debate. 

Isco is probably Real's most in-form player alongside Ronaldo. Since securing his place in the first team, the collective performance has improved significantly. While Casemiro provides the essential defensive balance as an anchorman in midfield, Isco has complemented this with a noticeable offensive balance up forward. In his preferred number 10 position, Isco performs admirably well tactically, helping out the midfield trio of Casemiro, Kroos and Modric with their defensive duties, as well as linking up perfectly with the forward line of Ronaldo and Benzema when the team is in possession of the ball. In this season, Isco has scored 11 goals and provided 10 assists in a total of 41 matches across all competitions. He has been a key player in winning the league title, as he was clearly the leader of the "B-team" when Zidane heavily rotated his squad in the final weeks of the season.

As for Bale, this is without doubt his worst season in Madrid. Despite being the team's best player in the first weeks, a series of long-term injuries has turned that bright start into a nightmare. Since returning from his injury in Spring, Bale has been a shadow of his former self. The final straw came when he pulled a muscle only 18 minutes of starting time against Barcelona, in a game that could have cost Real the league title. He left the pitch amid clear disapproval from the Santiago Bernabeu stands. His stats are a clear indication of his form: 9 goals and 5 assists in only 26 games is a very poor return for the club's most expensive signing ever. 

It is clear then that Isco is the sensible choice as a starter. Of course it is a very emotional game for Bale; playing a Champions League final in his native Cardiff has always been a dream for him, but simply and unfortunately, he is not ready for it. Having him on the bench would be a great solution for Zidane in the latter stages of the match, especially that Bale would realistically be able to perform at his best for no more than 30 minutes. So, will Zidane obey the orders from above and repeat the Clasico mistake? Or will he turn on the deaf ear and go with undeniable logic?

Man of the Hour: Isco has been Splendidly Magical

2. Navas vs. De Gea: Vol. 2

The fax communication error between Real Madrid and Manchester United in the summer of 2015 turned to be a blessing in disguise for Keylor Navas. In the subsequent 2015/2016 season, the Costa Rican rose high and defied all doubters by proving his worth as Real's number one. His 10 cleansheets in 13 Champions League games were essential for securing the Undécima. 

A surgery followed in the summer, then a late return at the start of the current season meant a clear degradation between the sticks. It was normal then that the De Gea rumors surfaced heavily again in the local and international press, which affected the humble goalkeeper even more. However, and just as most of his teammates, Navas has escalated his performance towards the business end of the season. Back were the miraculous close-range saves and full-stretch dives that made the Costa Rican one of the most solid keepers in world football.

Despite all of this, Real will probably attempt to sign De Gea this summer to finally fulfill their target of landing the Spain number one. It is up for Navas then to make them think twice again about this prospect; is De Gea really that better than Navas for the club to pay nearly 70 million euros to bring him back to the Spanish capital?

De Gea's Shadow Looms Large Again for Navas

3. The Final Curtain Call for Senior Players

The final against Juventus may truly be the last game in a Real Madrid shirt for many players, and this means that Real will have a busy summer transfer window ahead. 

James Rodriguez has clearly said goodbye to the Bernabeu faithful in a standing ovation when he was substituted against Sevilla in the last home game of the current campaign. The Colombian has raised his standards this season and remained highly efficient in terms of goals and assists input, but it wasn't enough for him to earn a place in the regular starting team with the tried and tested 4-3-3 system. He was always behind Isco, Asensio and Vazquez in the squad pecking order.  A move to Manchester United is most likely.

Morata is the team's second highest goalscorer this term behind Cristiano, but again these numbers were not enough. He frequently showed his disappointment for the lack of deserved first-team playing time and seems determined to leave his boyhood club for good this time around. It is speculated that if Manchester United came calling, then De Gea would be a sure part of the deal.

Pepe's contract extension predicament with the board also seems to have been unsolved. The Portuguese defender would probably play for free for Madrid, but Florentino doesn't want to give him more than one year. It is another case of shameful treatment by the club to one of the most passionate and committed players in the team's history. Pepe will never have the chance of an absolutely earned farewell on the pitch.

James Clearly Dejected on Bernabeu Farewell

4. Zidane's Future

A few weeks ago, Marca confirmed that the club will extend Zidane's contract until 2020 regardless of the results and achievements at the end of this season. 

The French legend has already won all titles possible in his first year and a half in charge. He proved all doubters wrong this season by winning La Liga after leading it almost from start to finish, and by reaching the Champions League final for the second time in a row. 

Zidane has done extremely well in the most difficult aspect of managing Real Madrid: keeping the players, the board, the fans and the press all satisfied. But what if he really goes on and wins the Duodécima? We all know how things go in Madrid, such that any single failure in the upcoming seasons would be magnified and Zidane might find himself in a sticky situation if major trophies don't keep coming in. 

It is no doubt an issue that a man of Zidane's genius and composure will be thinking of meticulously if he actually lifts the cup on Saturday. Was all of this possible even in his wildest dreams?

"What's Going on in that Beautiful Mind?"

Back to the Drawing Board: Zidane and Madrid Risk Losing Out on a Season that Looked Entirely Theirs Just Weeks Ago

Real Madrid are suffering and on the verge of a crisis. They are not playing well at all, and they are working overly hard - with slices of luck - to earn points in their league games, whether playing at home or away.

The latest setback came against Las Palmas; a team well known for its possession-based style of play. They frustrated Madrid in the Santiago Bernabeu stadium despite conceding an early goal, and put on a fantastic performance to prove that, despite their recent poor form and deteriorating position in the table, they truly are one of the best teams in Spain. What was disappointing most about Madrid though was that they looked as if it were the first time they face the Canari Islanders. Zidane shuffled his pack and rested both Modric and Casemiro, the team's most capable defensive players in midfield, and ordered the midfield trio of Kovacic, Kroos and Isco to push forward and press the Las Palmas lines high. The outcome was all too predictable. Las Palmas thrived in moving the ball well and coming out of their areas, and hit Madrid where it hurts them most: the wide areas in which Carvajal and Marcelo were also too prone defensively, as they heavily focused on their attacking game. Jese had a great game and showed his qualities, and Ramos and Nacho were left brutally exposed time and again. Then, in the second half, to make matters even worse, Bale lost his temper after chasing Jonathan Perreira without being able to cut the ball. The Las Palmas player provoked Bale and the referee didn't hesitate in giving the Welsh his marching orders.

Bale sees Red for the First Time in a Madrid Shirt

Two goals followed from Las Palmas and so it was practically game over. The comeback against Villarreal in the weekend seemed a minor task now that the team was playing with 10 men and facing immense pressure from the stands. But this is why Real Madrid are so special. Even with all this mess of a performance and result, they kept going and managed to score two goals in the final minutes to salvage a point, when in fact the reality was that they dropped two priceless points.

So back to ground zero. Ever since all players returned from injury and Zidane fielded his preferred 4-3-3 starting XI, the team seemed to face the same old tactical issues. Ronaldo is no longer filling the left-wing position, forcing Marcelo to do all the hard work by himself, and taking into consideration Kroos's (or whoever is playing in his position) slow pace and inability to cover the areas well defensively, opposition teams are purposely exposing this weakness and hurting Madrid. The same story on the right side, although to a less extent, because Bale does occasionally track back and help out Modric and Carvajal with their defensive duties. This is why Ramos and Varane's mistakes are increasing more and more, and this is why Casemiro's presence is essential; no one in the team can do what he does defensively. This in turn puts another problem under the focus, which is Casemiro's immobility when the team has the ball. Almost all opposition teams now tend to disconnect Modric and Kroos from each other and limit their offensive and creative influence on the front three, obliging them to always look for Marcelo or Carvajal to show up on the flank and then have no option but to cross the ball into the area (an increasingly frustrating issue over the past few games), or return it back and thus killing the attack off. And when that happens, the team becomes in need of another driving force from midfield, and that is what Casemiro lacks. This case was exactly demonstrated against Villarreal, when Isco replaced the Brazilian and everything ticked in midfield again. Therefore, despite his indispensable defensive contribution, Casemiro can unfortunately turn out to be an attacking liability for Real.

Alternative Trio: James, Isco and Kovacic are Key Midfield Solutions

The solution is in Zidane's hands. As long as there were injuries and absences, he was able (or rather forced) to tinker with the formation in order to achieve the ultimate balance. But now that everyone is on board again, it is his responsibility to proactively modify his tactics for the team's best interests. No longer should he continue to ignore Morata just to stand beside Benzema, nor should he stick so stubbornly to the 4-3-3 formation. The upcoming league games are extremely difficult and important. The team's reaction to the previous results should be strong enough to beat Eibar, Betis and Bilbao, and of course to prevent Napoli from a very possible comeback. Zidane, more than anyone, knows that he will solely be judged by major trophies at the end of the season.

Rough Patch: Zidane's Coaching Methods under the Test

Over to you then, Zizou.