Don't see it that way. Save for Ramos, our entire defense is past it. Varane, Carvajal, Marcelo don't have it anymore. Don't even wanna imagine what the likes of Sterling/KdB etc. will do to them. Midfield battle we lose, Valverde has helped out but can't do it all on his own.
Attack we still miss that killer instinct to really put games to bed. Benzema scores but needs too many chances. Hazard creates a lot but doesn't score and Rodrygo still too young to count on him. On top of all of that, Pep will tactically outclass Zidane.
Liverpool-Atletico should be interesting. Expecting Leipzig to beat Spurs.
I think Pep is way overrated and Zidane is way underrated in this comparison. Zidane's Real Madrid was the best team in the world for his whole tenure, and they played like a dream, they dominated matches, they had the kind of luck good teams have... Man City has been choking in the CL every year in the meantime.
I think there have been signs this season that Zidane's Real Madrid can be back, the match against PSG, against Real Sociedad, against Sevilla, the quality is there, the peak is very high, what is missing is the consistency because of the gaps we have in the squad. Too many forwards, too few midfielders, the moment one or two of the starting midfielders cannot play there have to be huge compromises, like against Mallorca.
Saying Marcelo doesn't have it is ridiculous, he has been as good as ever so far this season, Mendy is a wall, Varane and Carvajal are in weaker form, but pretending guys in their mid-20s
don't have it anymore is a bit exaggerated.
