Jude Bellingham’s drop-off has seen Zinedine Zidane linked with a return to the Bernabeu (Image: Getty)
Real Madrid’s board are said to be troubled by Jude Bellingham’s alarming dip in performance, sparking suggestions of Zinedine Zidane stepping in as a saviour. The La Liga giants are facing hard times this season, currently sitting behind Barcelona in the league title race with a stark nine-point gap after suffering a humiliating 4-0 thrashing in El Clasico last month.
Despite boasting a star-studded frontline featuring Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, and the newly-added Kylian Mbappe – alongside a deeper-playing Bellingham – the team’s performances have been lacklustre, also leaving them floundering in the Champions League at 18th place with two defeats already marring their record.
The England international has particularly been a point of contention, having struggled with injuries and a failure to score or assert his influence within manager Carlo Ancelotti’s revamped tactics. With the Spanish outfit’s hierarchy reportedly discontent with Bellingham’s below-par shows on the pitch, fingers are being pointed at Ancelotti for mismanaging talents.
Madrid-based outlet Relevo reports: “Bellingham’s situation worries the board. Unrecognisable, frustrated, inaccurate. He has been one of Ancelotti’s experiments’ biggest victims; sometimes on the right, other times on the left, and now without presence in the area where he was so decisive last season.”
Bellingham’s stunning 19 league goals last term were pivotal in his team clinching the league title by a comfortable margin of 10 points, and his contribution of four European goals propelled their journey to an unprecedented 15th Champions League victory. However, this season has seen his edge dulled due to injuries and Mbappe’s disruptive presence as a No. 9.
“I think Jude surprised everyone last season when he started, and now, he’s doing really well,” Ancelotti noted earlier in the summer. “He’s really mature and takes more responsibility in the squad. He’s a really important player for us. As he did last season, he’ll do the same this season.”
“I think so,” Ancelotti replied, asking if Bellingham could improvement. “He has a lot of quality, really mature, really strong character. He’s a really important player in the squad, not only for what he did on the pitch but also the environment is really important for his personality.”
Ancelotti has come under fire for his misuse of Bellingham (Image: Getty)
However, despite these optimistic proclamations, there hasn’t been a notable uptick in form. Bellingham and his colleagues are still underperforming, Mbappe is still not firing having ousted the Englishman from his preferred position, and fingers are being pointed at Ancelotti.
According to ED, Real legend Zidane, who is presently uncommitted elsewhere, is emerging as a leading contender to take the reins should Ancelotti face dismissal. With three European triumphs and two La Liga titles secured during his tenure with the Spanish giants, Zidane was coy but sent a telling message in 2022 as to whether he’d welcome a return.
“As a coach, there aren’t 50 clubs I can go to. There are two or three possibilities,” Zidane told L’Equipe. “If I go back to a club, it’s to win. I say this in all modesty. That’s why I can’t go anywhere. For other reasons, too, I might not be able to go everywhere. Which ones? The language, for example. Certain conditions make things more difficult.
“When people say to me: ‘Do you want to go to Manchester [United]? ‘ I understand English but I don’t fully master it. I know that there are coaches who go to clubs without speaking the language, but I work differently.”
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1973338/zinedine-zidane-jude-bellingham-real-madrid