Page 49 - MIN VOS 6 jan,2016

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SPORTSWednesday 6 January 2016

Leicester Column:

Zidane, the new star coach European football needs

Real Madrid’s newly appointed coach Zinedine Zidane steps out for his first training session in somewhat nepotistic ap- drid’s dressing room won’t
Madrid, Spain, Tuesday Jan. 5, 2016. Real Madrid fired coach Rafael Benitez Monday after seven pointment which, having be able to look down on
months and replaced him with former player Zinedine Zidane a day after Madrid’s 2-2 draw at previously managed only him.
Valencia deepened a crisis that started with an embarrassing 4-0 home loss to rival Barcelona in Madrid’s “B’’ team, Zidane But former glories will only
November. hardly merited. carry Zidane so far. Keep-
Putting the former icon in ing Madrid record goal-
(AP Photo/Paul White) charge, a player loved scorer Cristiano Ronaldo
for his five seasons at the happy will be key. In be-
JOHN LEICESTER ing job, Zidane is throwing both ugly and debilitating. club, smacked of popu- coming their manager,
AP Sports Columnist himself in at the deepest Firing Benitez on Monday lism. It gives fans something he is putting himself at the
PARIS (AP) — As he did in of deep ends by taking the after only seven months to cheer in what could be mercy of Madrid’s players
scoring twice for France reins of the 10-time Europe- looked like decision-making a season barren of major and their moods. If they
against Brazil in the 1998 an champion, where his ev- by whim, not well thought- trophies unless Zidane can don’t win, it will be him —
World Cup final, Zinedine ery move, word and team out executive strategy. rouse Madrid’s underper- not all of them — who’ll be
Zidane has again popped selection will be scrutinized Even Vicente del Bosque, forming stars with what he shown the door.
up at just the right time, as and second-guessed under who like Zidane starred as promised Tuesday would “The role of the coach is to
the new coach of Real Ma- the brightest of spotlights. a player for Madrid before be an attack-minded style get results, and it will be the
drid. That suggests a mixture of coaching it, was dismissed of play. same for me, despite my
With Jose Mourinho, Rafa both courage and folly — in 2003 after landing two With short, concise answers past,” he said.
Benitez and Louis van Gaal traits Zidane displayed in Champions League tri- in his first news conference With Mourinho having
all on downward spirals spades as the most gifted umphs and two league ti- as manager, and switching burned his bridges at Chel-
as managers, their auras player of his generation tles during three and a half effortlessly between French sea, Benitez now also at
waning and unadventur- who repeatedly rose to big years in charge — the lon- and Spanish, Zidane oth- a loose end, Van Gaal la-
ous styles of play increas- occasions but also repeat- gest spell of any manager erwise gave little away in boring unsteadily and un-
ingly outmoded and con- edly lost control of his vi- at the Bernabeu in the last what was a characteristi- convincingly at Manches-
demned, European foot- cious temper. 20 years. cally reserved but smooth ter United and Juergen
ball needed a bright new Under Florentino Perez, As a Madrid insider, Zidane performance. Although he Klopp’s honeymoon period
star in a suit to help keep it the Real Madrid president knows all this. His gamble is still has lots to learn about at Liverpool showing signs
interesting into the next de- now on his 11th coach in that this adventure will last coaching, Zidane has per- of souring, this has been a
cade. 12 years, even Zidane may long enough for him to es- fected the art of football tough few weeks for top Eu-
The risk for Zidane person- not last long. Perez, one tablish his credibility as a banalities. He said — no ropean coaches.
ally, of course, is that if it imagines, must have James top-notch coach. How he surprise — that he wants But not for Pep Guardiola,
all goes wrong for him in Bond-style ejector seats fit- fares in coming months, to win trophies and “do as somewhat alone at the
the Madrid dugout, the ted as standard in the pas- perhaps years if he is luckier well as I can.” top of the pile of forward-
only possible next step from senger seats of his cars. than many of his predeces- Showing an ex-player’s un- thinking, offense-minded
managing the world’s rich- As though stricken by afflu- sors, will help determine derstanding of the some- modern managers, and
est club will be down. enza, never fully satisfied, where Zidane ends up next. times fragile psyche of so successful in Germany
Instead of dipping his toes Madrid’s habit of chopping And that could be even pampered modern foot- with Bayern Munich that he
into his first major coach- and changing coaches is more interesting than this ballers, Zidane also said he is looking for a new chal-
would take particular care lenge in the English Premier
of Gareth Bale, the hugely League to keep him on his
expensive Welsh winger toes.
whom he suggested was Guardiola, like Zidane, is
upset by the departure of in his forties. He was a star
Benitez. player for Barcelona be-
“He’s a fundamental play- fore coaching its “B’’ team
er,” Zidane said of Bale, and then taking over its first
whose ears must have team, which he led to mul-
burned red from such tiple trophies. Which is why
praise. “Phenomenal.” comparisons with Zidane
Zidane’s advantage is that must end there.
he starts with the immense Unlike Guardiola, Zidane
credit of having won al- has everything to do. He
most everything as a play- starts at the top in Madrid
er: World Cup, European but with no coaching his-
Championship, Champi- tory to speak of. Sink or
ons League, Spanish and swim? The answer will be
Italian leagues, the Ballon fascinating.q
d’Or. The big egos in Ma-