Zidane accepts position is under threat if Madrid fail to proceed in the Champions League

Zinedine Zidane has accepted that his position as Real Madrid head coach will come under serious threat if the club fail to reach the last 16 of the Champions League.

Los Blancos take on Borussia Monchengladbach at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano on Wednesday night and need at least a draw to advance, although securing just a point would leave them open still being eliminated.

“The club will do what it has to do, as always,” Zidane responded during Tuesday’s pre-match press conference.

“All I can think about is tomorrow’s game. But I don’t think about that [potentially being sacked].

“The past is in the past; the important thing is the present and the future. It’s a game to show our character as a team. I am convinced that we will do things well as a team.”

Casemiro stated that he would rather go on and try to win the Europa League if Real Madrid fail to reach the last 16 of the Champions League, rather than not play in Europe altogether, but Zidane is only focusing on Wednesday’s match against Gladbach.

“I’m not thinking about the Europa League; I’m not thinking about anything else [than playing Gladbach],” he stated.

“And the players the same. You can think and give your opinion, it’s your job. We are only thinking about playing a great game.”

Real Madrid have shown that they can step up to play when they need to, as shown with the Clasico and the matches against Inter and Sevilla, yet their inconsistency has made them a tough outfit to judge.

“We ask these players to perform every three days, but we have many matches and we’re always playing good teams who also want to win,” Zidane explained.

“With Barcelona, Inter and Sevilla, it’s also true that we didn’t have the very best performances. Then we played well in other games and didn’t win. The important thing is to think about tomorrow’s game and to do things as a team.”

Source – Marca