Opinion Piece: Why is Zidane so underrated as a coach?

As far as I am concerned; Zizou was the most elegant footballer ever. He won everything, dazzled while at it, and is doing exactly the same as a manager.

The debate will always rage on where; Zinedine Zidane ranks amongst the managerial or coaching greats of World football. As a player he was effortless on the ball, gliding through the blade of grass like a veteran ballerina; but as a coach, he is as unassuming as they come. His demeanor is one of a lost man in his thoughts; probably in a faraway land all by himself; not letting anything off via his emotions. I would pay a king’s ransom just to know what goes on in his mind during games.

Maybe it’s because he doesn’t have the charisma of a Pep Guardiola, or a confrontational spirit of a Jose Mourinho, or a happy go-lucky attitude of a Jurgen Klopp; Zizou has just been Zizou; just getting the work done as much as possible. Three consecutive Champions League trophies with an additional one as assistant to Carlo Ancelotti should count for something and get him the desired recognition that comes with such lofty achievements.

Zidane has been on the wheels of a potentially haphazard rebuild at Real Madrid that purely focused on the eclipsing of Cristiano Ronaldo’s shadow and placing the superstar mantle on the shoulders of Belgian, Eden Hazard. Unfortunately, the rebuild hit a huge bump on the road that has led to a hatchet job of making do with what you have.

The likes of Brahim Diaz, Dani Ceballos, Martin Odegaard, Eder Militao were all signed to potentially assume prominent roles at Los Blancos by now, but somehow the old heads continue to show quality beyond our collective expectations. The midfield trio of Toni Kroos, Luca Modric, and Casemiro seems like they aren’t going anywhere and like fine wine are getting better with age.

Don’t get me wrong; they have been on the end of disastrous performances for most of the season, but his ability to pick things up and galvanize his side is something that is not spoken about or credited to him.

More often than not; many credit the turn around to the players giving him little or no credit. Zizou didn’t ask to manage Real Madrid; Real chose him and should be given the credit he deserves. In today’s world of football; two main man-management styles exist; tough love and arm around the shoulder types; but Zidane’s style seems to be somewhere in the middle devoid of rancor and disunity.

For all the great sides; Ancelotti, Pep, and Mourinho may have churned out across the years; none can be credited with win three straight Champions League titles. The tag for probably the greatest club football team is reserved for Pep’s Barcelona team; despite not achieving the aforementioned feat; why is Zidane’s 2015- 2018 side not mentioned in the same breathe? Is it because the French Maestro doesn’t covet the media like his colleagues? Zidane just seems content to just get the job done and excel in probably the toughest job in Football.

They say the hallmark of a great manager is his ability to get the best out of a depleted squad; just look at the stellar performances over two legs of Nacho and Eder Milatao in the Real defence against Liverpool. Benzema’s continued surging numbers and Vinicius’s growing influence on all things Real are doing well; of course, the midfield trio continues to control affairs like spring chickens.

What Zidane has done at Real Madrid is build a strong, physical, resilient, and street-wise team that has held its own amongst the best sides in Europe in the last seven years. For this Zinedine Zidane deserves all the recognition he is due as he continues to lead Real Madrid in the right direction.

 

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