Real Madrid didn't need a comeback in Paris on Saturday night, but it wasn't too far from it. Outplayed for most parts, Real Madrid once again showed the determination to hang on.
This backs-to-the-wall grit has been the overriding theme of Real through the season, the defining wins against PSG, Chelsea, Man City (in Champions League) and Sevilla (in La Liga) all coming from almost hopeless situations. But beyond the on-field heroics, there were offfield issues which the club had to confront which might have helped galvanize the outfit. And it started as early as the beginning of the season.
Zidane leaving and Allegri snub: Zinedine Zidane was making do with an ageing squad in the earlier two seasons, but he was starting to have differences with president Florentino Perez that ultimately made him quit. And Real went trophyless. Perez tried to get former Juventus manager Max Allegri, but the Italian turned down despite an agreement with the president and joined Juventus instead.
The double blow could have left Real in disarray but the management's decision to ask Carlo Ancelotti to take the job proved a masterstroke. He was not a glamorous choice, but the wealth of experience of the Italian and his ability to manage big egos worked well after initial hiccups. He dropped superstars like Gareth Bale and Eden Hazard and said upfront that there were players who were playing better than them. He brought in fitness trainer Antonio Pintus as well, who ensured that the ageing team had the legs to sustain themselves in crucial matches.
Ancelotti also made a small tweak in Vinicius Junior's game, telling him to be more decisive and not to take more than two touches inside the box. And by the end of the season, results proved he wasn't wrong. Clasico humiliation in late March: Real were 10 points ahead in the Liga and went into the game without two of their crucial cogs --Karim Benzema and Ferland Mendy --out due to injuries and were thrashed 4-0 by Barca. It showed the loopholes in the Real Madrid line-up and there were visions of 2003-04 season, when the Los Blancos lost everything after losing to their arch-rivals at the business end.
But Real showed once again they could absorb shocks. Ancelotti took all the blame on himself saying he made a mistake by pushing Luka Modric up to play Benzema's role which led to the loss of midfield control and that he "doesn't repeat the same mistakes".
The defeat proved a blessing in disguise as Real shed all their pretence of being a high-press attacking side against teams better and more physically powerful than them.
Mbappe snub a week before CL final: Despite having the Brazilian wonder kids Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo in the team, Kylian Mbappe had become a passion project for Perez because he has to show the investors of the newly-furbished Bernabeu that he has the most marketable superstar in his kitty. But Mbappe, with a week to go for the Champions League final, left Real red-faced by deciding to stay with PSG following a year-long courtship with the Spanish giants.
The attention seemed to get diverted and the fact that the team had won the Liga and made the Champions League final seemed to be reduced to a footnote. Here again, it was the calmness of Ancelotti and the experience of Real Madrid's ageing war horses that did the trick.
