Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane has told his team in no uncertain terms that they must finish what has been a difficult season with some improved displays.
Zidane was speaking after seeing Los Merengues lose 1-0 at Rayo Vallecano, with Real having now won just two of their last six La Liga matches.
We have to think about the future and finish the last three games well.
Zinedine Zidane
That run has left them a massive 18 points adrift of champions Barcelona, with second place now all but certain to go to city rivals Atletico
Real also crashed out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage in losing to Ajax, while their Copa del Rey campaign ended in a semi-final defeat to Barca, who are 1/5 to lift the trophy and 2/5 to defeat Valencia in normal time in the final.
That has left Zidane demanding better from his star-studded squad, while he also made it clear that France defender Raphael Varane will not be leaving the Bernabeu in the summer.
He told the Spanish media: "The season has to end, because it's true that we have complications and there's nothing at stake. We have to think about the future and finish the last three games well.
"It would be better for the season to end as soon as possible, but we have three games left and we have to play them and we cannot finish like that, giving that image.
"We have to respect the game of football, respect this club and we have to finish these three games, because we are going to have to play better than this. What we saw was unacceptable.
"The positive point of this season finale is that Varane will stay."
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Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane has told his team in no uncertain terms that they must finish what has been a difficult season with some improved displays.
Zidane was speaking after seeing Los Merengues lose 1-0 at Rayo Vallecano, with Real having now won just two of their last six La Liga matches.
We have to think about the future and finish the last three games well.
Zinedine Zidane
That run has left them a massive 18 points adrift of champions Barcelona, with second place now all but certain to go to city rivals Atletico
Real also crashed out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage in losing to Ajax, while their Copa del Rey campaign ended in a semi-final defeat to Barca, who are 1/5 to lift the trophy and 2/5 to defeat Valencia in normal time in the final.
That has left Zidane demanding better from his star-studded squad, while he also made it clear that France defender Raphael Varane will not be leaving the Bernabeu in the summer.
He told the Spanish media: "The season has to end, because it's true that we have complications and there's nothing at stake. We have to think about the future and finish the last three games well.
"It would be better for the season to end as soon as possible, but we have three games left and we have to play them and we cannot finish like that, giving that image.
"We have to respect the game of football, respect this club and we have to finish these three games, because we are going to have to play better than this. What we saw was unacceptable.
"The positive point of this season finale is that Varane will stay."
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Source: bet365.com