After Real Madrid beat Valencia in the league with the kind of performance that would have made last year's team gush with pride, Zidane made the mental side of the game the nucleus of his post-match comments.
"Sometimes, football is in your head," said Zidane after their win at Mestalla. He knew that it was the same Real Madrid that had been sent out countless times before. It's why he also made the point of sticking with the players he has in his squad over the winter when transfer speculation suggested they would buy players for all areas of the field.
However, Real Madrid's game management continues to be a source of frustration and Ramos' diagnosis of the situation after the Levante collapse fit the symptoms perfectly. "When you do the most complicated thing, which is come back to lead, you can't draw with five minutes to go. You have to draw on experience, try to kill time."
The ironic thing is that Real Madrid built a dynasty and record-breaking side that won consecutive Champions Leagues by preying on other side's mental lapses and weaknesses. They could play you off the park or beat you in a war of attrition, and it didn't bother them as to how they did it.
If they can fixate on one thing before the PSG game, it should be their attempts to rediscover the ability to win matchesby any means necessary and closing up shop when the finish line appears. Zidane knows it, PSG know it and most importantly, his Real Madrid players know it. If they can't eliminate those mental errors and game-management issues, however, it could very well mean a heavy defeat on Valentine's Day.
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