Former Barcelona stirker Thierry Henry has hailed Zinedine Zidane for getting Real Madrid’s tactics right in the Clasico win at the Camp Nou on Saturday.
Real were hammered by their fierce rivals at home in the autumn when ex-boss Rafa Benitez ditched his conservative approach and went all out attack – a plan that backfired spectacularly as they lost 4-0.
But on Saturday, Zidane’s men looked solid at the back and kept their composure at 1-0 down after Gerard Pique gave the hosts the lead. Real responded through Karim Benzema and despite being reduced to 10-men when Sergio Ramos was sent off, won the game thanks to late Cristiano Ronaldo strike.
Speaking about the performance, Henry, who played alongside Zidane in the France team, said: “I like the way Zidane set up the team. They were not scared, they put pressure on when they needed to and kept their composure at 1-0 down.
“Zidane understood he had to take care of the midfield, especially against Barcelona. People wanted to know if tactically he could do something against Barcelona and he did.”
Asked about whether the defeat could affect Los Cules in the league, the former Arsenal striker added: “You never know, but I don’t think Barcelona will let the league go away. The key game is against Atletico, you never know what can happen and that could have an effect on the league, but I think they will be OK.”
