Zidane's 7-day flip-flop

Zinedine Zidane didn't hold back with his criticism after the fluky win over Las Palmas, whereas a week later he went away delighted with the result and display against Sevilla.

During Zinedine Zidane's press conference in Gran Canaria, you would have been forgiven for thinking that Real Madrid had lost, rather than snatching a 2-1 win. Zidane is well aware that "winning alone is not enough" at 'Los Blancos', a message that he himself is at pains to impress on his players, and that sometimes a performance overshadows the scoreline. That was the case against Las Palmas.

The last-gasp winner by Casemiro, who has been reborn in recent times, did not paper over the cracks - or should we say vast fissures - of what was a shocking showing by Real Madrid in the Canary Islands, and the Frenchman was visibly fuming.

Seven days later, Zidane faced the media after another victory, and his message was the polar opposite of the previous week's warning. He went from seething that, "Playing like that we're going nowhere", to gushing that, "Playing like that we can really go places".

From glass near on empty to glass half full, from dismissing any hope to rekindling dreams... Zidane's words went out to the fans, but were also a measure of recognition for his players who, to their credit, redeemed themselves for their nightmare night in Gran Canaria by buckling down and dazzling against Unai Emery's men.