Real Madrid staring down black hole after Copa humiliation

There is nothing left to salvage for Real Madrid…

At the start of the season, many were convinced that Real Madrid had created a dynasty. They looked unstoppable, with Super Cup success against Barcelona and Manchester United highlighting their prowess. Fast-forward five months and the team are an absolute shambles. There is no more pizazz – and after their defeat against Leganes, there could be no more Zidane.

Victory in the away leg against the minnows from Madrid meant that Los Blancos needed a measly draw on their own turf. But what would’ve been a stroll for last season’s team turned out to be an absolute horror-show. It was arguably the weakest performance the players have put in all season – which is an emphatic statement given the club’s failings on the domestic front.

Zidane, despite the importance of the encounter, chose to stick to his previously heralded rotation policy. He left out the likes of Ronaldo, Bale, Kroos, and Marcelo from the squad – and it proved to be a catastrophic decision. After a barrage of undeserved criticism over the last few weeks, the Frenchman was guilty of an overly optimistic approach on the night.

The youthful trio of Achraf Hakimi, Marcos Llorente, and Theo Hernandez were all trusted with the responsibility of seeing out the encounter, but their inexperience was waiting to be exploited. Hakimi consistently misplaced passes until one was punished by a terrific strike by Javier Eraso in the 31^st minute, sending the Bernabéu into panic-mode. Similarly, Llorente and Hernandez struggled to assert themselves against the Leganes players – inviting pressure in the process.