Zinedine Zidane makes the difference as risk-averse Real Madrid round into form at the perfect time

The Los Blancos boss does not often make early substitutions, but he acted decisively and saw the derby against rivals Atletico swing Real’s way

Zinedine Zidane’s side are getting into their stride as others falter (Getty)

A dominant second half gave Real Madrid a long awaited Bernabeu derby win over Atletico Madrid on Saturday afternoon, with the manner of the composed rather than brilliant performance showing Blancos coach Zinedine Zidane's priorities right now.

A double substitution at the break helped Zidane’s team take control, however most important for big upcoming tests was how Madrid settled in after going 1-0 up to defend their lead and take zero risks at all.

Atletico had the better of the first period, with Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois saving from Vitolo, Angel Correa hitting a post, and Alvaro Morata's clear penalty claim turned down by the referee.

The Los Blancos boss does not often make early substitutions, but he acted decisively in sending on wide-men Vinicius Junior and Lucas Vazquez for central creators Isco and Toni Kroos. And almost immediately the game swung, with Vinicius directly involved as Karim Benzema put Madrid ahead.

Atletico were despondent as Alvaro Morata had recently limped off to worsen their injury crisis, and Courtois was untroubled from then on as Madrid maintained their position atop the LaLiga table.

“I was not happy with what I saw in the first half,” Zidane told the post-game news conference. “That was not the players’ fault, it was my responsibility. So I changed Isco and Toni. And we changed the team shape, opened up the pitch, pressed high. We showed more intensity, our attitude was different, we were better in everything. They played very well the first half, we were much better in the second. But we deserved to win.”

Madrid did deserve the victory, which kept them three ahead of second placed Barcelona, and put them a full 13 points ahead of a free-falling Atletico. However Zidane’s side did not really go for the kill, or create any more clear chances over the remainder of the game. Instead they were happy to keep it tight at the back and see out the 1-0.

“You make one mistake, and they kill you,” said Atletico midfielder Marcos Llorente afterwards, who worked under Zidane until moving across the city from Madrid last summer.

Los Blancos have now conceded just 13 goals in 22 matches, the lowest number across the top five European leagues, and their best record at this point in all LaLiga history. The defensive wobbles of recent seasons are gone, with the current seriousness most symbolised by previously reckless captain Sergio Ramos’ error free last few months.

A big problem area at left-back has also been sorted, with €48 million summer signing Ferland Mendy now having supplanted Marcelo as first choice. Mendy’s excellent cross, converted by his fellow Frenchman Benzema, was his first assist in an 18th game in a Madrid jersey. While it is pretty amazing that his team have conceded just three times during his first 1003 minutes of La Liga action, Mendy is performing within a newly solid structure with all 10 outfield players working hard.

“Defending is the job of everyone,” Zidane said on Saturday. “When we lose the ball, everybody is thinking of winning it back quickly.”

It should really however be taken into account what Madrid were up against. When Morata left the pitch, Atletico’s hopes of scoring pretty much went with him, with fellow attackers Diego Costa and Joao Felix also currently injured. Simeone’s side have struggled badly for goals all season. 22 from their first 22 games is Los Colchoneros’ worst ever scoring record in LaLiga at this point.

Madrid have done well in keeping it tight in big games this year, by sacrificing quite a lot of their attacking potential. Zidane’s side have yet to concede in four games against Atletico and Barca. But just scored just once themselves in those 300 minutes, against teams going through difficult transitional seasons. 1-0 turned out to be enough again on Saturday, but Madrid still left themselves open to an individual mistake or bad luck striking as Atletico launched frantic late attacks.

Zidane might point to contributing factors, such as injuries to last summer’s galactico attacking signing Eden Hazard, and Gareth Bale's latest disconnection. However it looks more like the Madrid coach does not want his team taking many risks in big games. Perhaps due to lessons learned during three seasons under arch-pragmatist Marcello Lippi during his time as a Juventus player, and maybe also during his rollercoaster time as a galactico at Madrid.

It is even more striking how the Bernabeu crowd, which usually demands swashbuckling and attacking football in all situations, have accepted Zidane’s approach. On Saturday the home supporters seemed content that Madrid had the game won almost as soon as Benzema scored. Confidence comes from a 21 game unbeaten run, and just seven goals conceded at home in La Liga all season so far. It could also be a factor that, with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City due at the Bernabeu on February 26, perfecting a deep and solid defensive system is a priority all round.

There were no worries or nerves from Madrid supporters even as their team did not further worry Jan Oblak in the Atletico goal, and supportive cheers for Vinicius and Mendy taking speculative shots from long range. The biggest roars were for lung-bursting runs showing physical commitment from Fede Valverde and Dani Carvajal, not any flashes of individual skill or creativity.

Benzema scored the only goal (AFP via Getty Images)

“We cannot always play really well, from the first minute,” Zidane explained. “But the fans were saying thanks for the effort you put in. We got our reward today against a very good opponent.”

Instead of urging their team forward to score a second and kill the game, the home fans dedicated themselves to trolling Simeone through the final stages. 'Cholo don't leave, Cholo please stay,' sang fans happy / relieved at a first domestic derbi win at the Bernabeu since 2012.

That will have hurt the visitors, considering Atletico’s horrorshow January saw them lose on penalties to Madrid in the Supercopa final, then crash out of the Copa del Rey at third-tier La Cultural Leonesa. It is now zero wins and one goal from their last five games in all competitions, their longest run without a victory since Simeone arrived as coach in December 2011.

Afterwards, the Argentine said he’d not heard the chants from the crowd. He also claimed to have seen promising signs in his team’s first half performance, even with all the injuries and less than three weeks now to the Champions League last 16 first game at home to an all-powerful Liverpool side.

“We’re leaving here with a bitter taste, feeling we could have got a result,” the Argentine said. “The first half performance is the path we must keep to. We’re worried by the situation, for sure. We know we must work hard to turn things around. We’ll be getting back players soon, and need to keep competing in La Liga and the Champions League.”

By contrast things are pretty good at the Bernabeu at the moment, so much so that Zidane found himself asked if Madrid were now on course for the club's first ever Liga, Copa and European Cup treble.

“No,” he responded. “We're just happy to have won a difficult game today. We've many difficult games left, in all three competitions. We’ve won nothing yet, just the Supercopa, and the path is very long.”

That path might well lead to success, as Zidane's super serious 2019/20 Madrid side certainly look back on track.