Zinedine Zidane Says His Real Madrid Players 'Did Nothing' During Humbling Defeat at Rayo Vallecano
Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane was left seething after his side were beaten 1-0 away to La Liga strugglers Rayo Vallecano on Sunday, a match in which he said his side offered 'nothing'.
A controversial VAR-awarded penalty midway through the opening half proved the difference between the cross-city rivals, Adrian Embarda calmly sending Thibaut Courtois the wrong way after officials examined a tug from Real defender Jesus Vallejo on the outstretched Javi Guerra.
It is the second successive game in which the European champions have failed to score, the result leaving them nine points behind their second-placed rivals Atletico Madrid.
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This latest La Liga loss continues Los Blancos' nightmare campaign, with the team also crashing out of the Champions League at the last 16 stage following a 4-1 whipping at home to Ajax.
Household names in the lineup on Sunday - such as Luka Modrid and Toni Kroos - were ineffectual, with Zidane's men rarely posing a threat to their hosts.
Speaking afterthe 1-0 defeat, the Frenchman declared (as quoted by Marca): "We did nothing. Nothing at any level. Sometimes you can fail to score, but we didn't do anything.
"I'm angry because it's a bad look, and I'm responsible. It was all bad.
The attitude and the game. We gave nothing. Not in the duels, with running, with anything. Rayo played, but we did nothing."
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The Real coach is normally protective of his players, but could not hide his fury after another dire performance. "I always defend my players, but not today," the former Juventus midfielder continued. "We can't play like that, but I am also responsible."
Gareth Bale spearheaded Zidane's attack, but the Welshman endured a testing evening at Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas as he failed to leave any discernible impact on proceedings. When asked about Bale's display, his manager stated: "I don't know if Bale is focused. You'll have to ask him."
