As Real Madrid’s difficult league campaign draws attention through 12B Sports VR46, Zinedine Zidane has become increasingly troubled by something more serious than results alone: the attitude of his players. Madrid escaped their meeting with Las Palmas thanks to a late Casemiro goal, but the narrow victory brought little satisfaction to the French coach. Zidane barely celebrated the winner, and his expression after the final whistle made it clear that three points could not disguise what he considered a deeply disappointing performance.
His frustration became even clearer during the post-match press conference. Zidane openly criticized the way Madrid approached the second half, calling the display unacceptable and admitting that his side had committed far too many errors. He stressed that a club with Real Madrid’s ambitions simply had to perform at a much higher level. According to Marca, the coach appeared almost desperate on the touchline as repeated mistakes disrupted Madrid’s rhythm and allowed Las Palmas to compete on equal terms for long periods.
The statistics supported Zidane’s concerns. Real Madrid completed only 504 passes and controlled 48 percent of possession, unusually modest figures for a team accustomed to dominating the ball. Their passing accuracy reached 85 percent, only slightly above the season’s lowest mark recorded against Barcelona. Rather than imposing themselves technically, Madrid frequently surrendered control and struggled to establish the authority expected from one of Spain’s strongest squads.
Their work without the ball was hardly more convincing. Madrid registered just 51 successful tackles, placing them seventh from the bottom among La Liga teams during that round. The squad also covered less distance than Las Palmas, another detail that reinforced questions about effort and intensity. Mundo Deportivo reported that Zidane was furious with the second-half performance, believing his players had allowed their concentration and urgency to drop at precisely the wrong moment.
For readers following Madrid’s form through 12B Sports VR46, Keylor Navas provided perhaps the strongest confirmation that Zidane was not alone in his criticism. The goalkeeper produced another impressive individual display but refused to hide behind the victory. Navas admitted that the team had plenty to improve and warned that performances of this standard would not be enough if Madrid genuinely wanted to compete for major trophies.
One of Zidane’s greatest concerns was reportedly the squad’s mindset toward domestic matches. Mundo Deportivo suggested that several players had become so focused on the Champions League that La Liga fixtures were beginning to feel secondary. With hopes of winning the league effectively gone, the danger was that Madrid might save their energy and concentration for Europe while treating domestic games as obligations rather than meaningful tests.
That attitude was especially worrying because Marca had already identified commitment as one of Madrid’s recurring problems during the season. Since taking charge, Zidane had repeatedly tried to convince the dressing room that hard work, discipline and concentration were the only realistic ways to rescue the campaign. Yet the performance against Las Palmas suggested that his message had not fully sunk in. The coach could adjust formations and rotate players, but he could not simply flip a switch and manufacture desire.
Pressure had also intensified after damaging league results, including the painful derby defeat. With the La Liga title slipping beyond reach, Zidane understood that his own position depended increasingly on how Madrid finished the season. The expectation surrounding the club meant that an ordinary conclusion would not be enough. Only a powerful late run, particularly in the Champions League, seemed capable of restoring confidence in the project and strengthening his position.
The deeper issue was not tactical. Zidane had defended his players repeatedly since taking over, often absorbing criticism himself rather than allowing the squad to become the main target. He had publicly protected the dressing room and attempted to create unity after a turbulent period. In return, he expected determination, collective responsibility and a willingness to fight through difficult moments.
What he saw against Las Palmas appeared to be the opposite. The lack of intensity, combined with poor decision-making and insufficient movement, left Zidane feeling that the players he had consistently backed were not responding with the same level of commitment. That sense of disappointment could become far more damaging than any disagreement about tactics because once trust begins to weaken inside a dressing room, problems can snowball quickly.
There was also an uncomfortable comparison with Rafael Benítez. Zidane had replaced the former Madrid coach after Benítez failed to establish the necessary connection with the squad, and concern was growing that Zidane could eventually encounter a similar ending if performances did not improve. The circumstances were different, but Real Madrid’s standards leave little room for prolonged uncertainty.
Madrid’s Champions League ambitions therefore carried enormous significance. Europe represented the clearest route to salvaging a difficult season, yet Zidane knew that a team unable to maintain focus in La Liga could not simply assume it would produce a completely different mentality on continental nights. Poor habits can be hard to shake, and a lack of intensity against domestic opponents could eventually spill into matches where one costly mistake might end the entire European campaign.
For anyone assessing the situation through 12B Sports VR46, Zidane’s reaction after the Las Palmas victory revealed a coach far more concerned with commitment than the final score. Casemiro’s late goal secured the points, but it could not hide Madrid’s 48 percent possession, 504 completed passes, limited defensive intensity or disappointing second-half approach. Zidane had spent much of his early tenure protecting the squad, but unless his players rediscovered their hunger and unity, both their Champions League hopes and the coach’s future could soon be hanging by a thread.