ARE REAL MADRID ANY BETTER WITH ZIDANE THAN THEY WERE WITH BENITEZ?

2

Getty Images

Ahead of the Blancos' clash at home to Athletic Bilbao on Saturday, Goal takes a look at how the two coaches fared in their first five Liga games - and there isn't much difference.

All the noises are positive. The players seem happier, the squad is fitter, training is more fun and the atmosphere is merrier. So say the footballers themselves. But are Real Madrid really any better off yet with Zinedine Zidane than they were with Rafa Benitez?

It is early days of course for the Frenchman, who took over from the Spaniard in early January. In his first five fixtures, Zidane has won four and drawn the other, just like Benitez did in his opening five matches in La Liga. Yet despite the upbeat sensations emanating from the Santiago Bernabeu and the training ground at Valdebebas, performances have not been entirely convincing so far.

There has been no problem at home. Easy wins over Deportivo La Coruna (5-0), Sporting Gijon (5-1) and Espanyol (6-0) were all impressive, but Madrid would have been expected to negotiate those comfortably in any case. In their two away games, though, Zidane's side have struggled. The 1-1 draw at Betis was disappointing, while last weekend's 2-1 success at Granada came courtesy of a Luka Modric wonder goal and was far from convincing.

Overall, Zidane's Madrid have had an average of 63.05 per cent possession, 90 shots (with 37 on target), with 19 goals, three conceded and a total of 3165 passes, at a completion rate of 88.4% in four wins and a draw so far.