Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly wants Real Madrid to bring Jurgen Klopp to Santiago Bernabeu to replace embattled manager Zinedine Zidane.
According to a report by Spanish publication Don Balon, succession plans are already being laid down to replace Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid, if he is sacked by Florentino Perez. Cristiano Ronaldo, whose word carries a lot of weight, has opined that Jurgen Klopp should be the man to replace the Frenchman.
Zidane has enjoyed an extremely fruitful time as the Real Madrid manager, winning eight trophies in a little over two years at the helm at the Bernabeu, including the last two Champions League titles. This season though, things have gone haywire in Los Blancos’ defence of their La Liga crown.
With just nine wins in 17 league games so far, defending the La Liga title seems to be out of out of the equation, with bitter rivals Barcelona a massive 16 points ahead. Real Madrid also suffered one of their most embarrassing losses of the season when Barcelona thrashed them 3-0 at the Bernabeu last month.
Real Madrid’s performances in the Champions League haven’t inspired much confidence either, failing to beat Tottenham home and away to finish runners up in their group. It is, thus, not one bit surprising that the pressure is mounting on Zidane to get something out of the season.
Zidane: ‘I’m tired of hearing everything is bad at Real Madrid…’https://t.co/WXibaB0rw9 pic.twitter.com/6PJVh03fjN
— AS English (@English_AS) January 12, 2018
A trophyless season, though, could put him under severe pressure, despite the fact that he has been so successful so far in his tenure. Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is notorious for lacking patience when it comes to keeping managers after trophyless campaigns, and Zidane could be the latest one to fall prey to the policy.
As per the report, it looks like plans are already being put in place, should the Frenchman be given his marching order. Cristiano Ronaldo, who has a lot of say in matters off the field as well, has identified Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp as the man to replace Zidane at the helm at Real Madrid.
Klopp has had mixed fortunes during his stint at Anfield, failing to win any trophy so far, although things are looking promising this season following the addition of Mohamed Salah. Ronaldo has, in particular, been impressed by the Liverpool manager’s penchant for maintaining a high level of attack and his style of play.
The Real Madrid superstar believes that Klopp would bring with himself a sense of attacking impetus that has been missing under Zidane this season. The Liverpool boss’ management of attacking players also gives Ronaldo some hope considering he has been going through a sort of a lull this season.
For now, Zidane has some time left, and another Champions League triumph could help him remain at the Bernabeu. Otherwise, we may just see Klopp making his way to Real Madrid soon, although it’ll also depend on the German feeling the need to end his spell at Liverpool.
