Zinedine Zidane first apologised for Real Madrid’s performance in a shock defeat by struggling Rayo Vallecano, and then admitted it had made him angry.
Real slipped to a 1-0 defeat at the Campo de Futbol de Vallecas, courtesy of Adrian Embarba’s 23rd-minute penalty which had been awarded on the evidence of a VAR review.
But they created little as the remote chances of edging past arch-rivals Atletico Madrid into second place in the La Liga table were effectively dashed, and Zidane was pulling no punches afterwards.
He said at his post-match press conference: ‘We failed to score, but that wasn’t the only thing. We didn’t produce anything in any department from start to finish.
‘Sometimes it’s impossible to score, but you still manage to create chances, but tonight we just didn’t perform.
‘We can only but feel angry, and I’m angry. We gave a poor account of ourselves and I’m responsible for this, it’s not just the players. We’ve got to apologise for our performance.
‘Everything was lacking tonight, the attitude and everything else. We didn’t show any commitment in any department, not in the individual battles or when it came to running.
‘The opposition covered more ground than us, but we didn’t do any of the things that we should have done out there.
‘I’ll always back my players, but that’s the reality tonight and we just can’t go out and perform like that.
‘I’m responsible because I’m the one that picks the team and prepares the side. Tonight we’ve done totally the opposite, and I’ve played my part in that.’
Asked if the performance had made him regret his return to the Bernabeu Stadium, where he enjoyed such success during his first spell at the helm, he replied: ‘No, not at all, quite the opposite.
‘I’m here and I had to experience this too. It’s a critical and difficult time, but we just can’t play like that.’
Where Real may have only pride to play for in their final three games, Rayo have rekindled their hopes of survival, although they remain six points adrift of safety despite their heroics on Sunday evening.
