Zinedine Zidane - 3 time CL winning manager without a job

[RUCK4444]

Another manager with zero distinctive style of play, who wouldn't know what coaching is if it bit him squarely on the backside. Can't wait for it to dawn on everyone that he relied so heavily on such an insanely talented squad with shit ton of luck to get his champions league wins. Count on our useless board to make him the number 1 target though.

I think he proved himself a tad bit more than you seem to claim here but I largely agree with you.

We definitely need a proper coaching manager, my preference is Ten Haag.

Im sick of managers who rely on coaches to implement what they want and the two guys Zidane is close to (Pogba and Varane) are leaving and constantly injured respectively.

He would command respect from the squad but I think Ole’s tenure has shown the players to be respectful anyway if a little lacking in character.

 

[Holocene]

Has anyone so far in this thread explained how Zidane's team setup/play tactically?
I kinda have a blank memory of the time Real won the CL thrice as football was tough to watch when we were so shite.

Would be great if resident Madrid fans can take the time to post a little write-up or if someone can post the link to a twitter thread (there's always a twitter thread about a manager's tactics).

This has been posted before. It's a Twitter thread about Zidane:

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

 

[Bebestation]

Another manager with zero distinctive style of play, who wouldn't know what coaching is if it bit him squarely on the backside. Can't wait for it to dawn on everyone that he relied so heavily on such an insanely talented squad with shit ton of luck to get his champions league wins. Count on our useless board to make him the number 1 target though.

There's been managers who have won things with no style of play. Both very recent times and in the past.

Whilst I'm not 100% sure about Zidane either ultimately the thing that makes a good no style of play manager is their tactical ability to get the best out of their players and to always have that tactical knowledge with them.

This is what Ole lacks, he cant make a sub, he can't even arguably make a formation that gets the best out of the players he wants, he can't even use his weaker players and aim to get them better through tactics.

The style of play is sure a good thing but I wouldn't say its essential.

 

[kthanksbye]

This has been posted before. It's a Twitter thread about Zidane:

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

Thanks a lot, I need another manager to back after the heartbreak with Conte.

 

[gazbradley]

Another manager with zero distinctive style of play, who wouldn't know what coaching is if it bit him squarely on the backside. Can't wait for it to dawn on everyone that he relied so heavily on such an insanely talented squad with shit ton of luck to get his champions league wins. Count on our useless board to make him the number 1 target though.

If we can get half that amount of ‘luck’, I’ll take it

 

[Brophs]

Which one of the two headbutted someone during a WC final?

It barely even counts if you headbutt them in the chest.

 

[Idxomer]

I don't think Zidane will come but if he does, there should be a plan for the manager after him.

He isn't gonna stay for more than 18 months, he strikes me as someone who gets bored quickly with management.

 

[JPRouve]

It barely even counts if you headbutt them in the chest.

Avram Glazer:"I disagree! "

 

[Catt]

I dont think the club would reject Conte because he is expensive, "short-term" and not a yes man, and then go for Zidane, who is all those things but not as good tactically or can speak the language.

Did they reject Conte because he's expensive and not a yes man?

 

[JPRouve]

I don't think Zidane will come but if he does, there should be a plan for the manager after him.

He isn't gonna stay for more than 18 months, he strikes me as someone who gets bored quickly with management.

Keep in mind that he only managed Real Madrid which is probably the worst place to manage or play when it comes to daily pressure and the drama that any result that isn't a resounding win creates.

 

[Highfather_24]

Zidane is the most glamorous name though, both from his player fame and with his repeated CL wins, and he has worked with Varane and Ronaldo before.

Reports are that Rodgers is the most likely contender, and its true that they rejected Conte. So chances are, they dont care about "glamour" and just want a stooge who will do their bidding, and get minimum top 4. Zidane is unlikely to be a "long-term" appointment either, which is what the board wants.

My impression (rightly or wrongly) is that Zidane is more likely to just peace out and leave if he's unhappy, whereas Conte would be a bit more expressive in his discontent.

Exactly what Conte did this summer.

Did they reject Conte because he's expensive and not a yes man?

Yes, reportedly.

 

[Hansi Fick]

Reports are that Rodgers is the most likely contender, and its true that they rejected Conte. So chances are, they dont care about "glamour" and just want a stooge who will do their bidding, and get minimum top 4. Zidane is unlikely to be a "long-term" appointment either, which is what the board wants.

I don't regard the body of source material for both claims as anywhere near strong enough to take them seriously as the basis for an argument.
So, who says?

The reports that Rodgers is the most likely contender are too flimsy to think that he actually is, and we also don't know whether the idea that United rejected Conte has any truth to it. Where was this claimed? "Reject" is a strange word anyway when you are supposed to be the one hiring.

 

[dinostar77]

David Bettoni and Hamidou Msaidie are Zidane's trusted assistants..In his first spell at Real Madrid he trusted Antonio Pintus to gain back the fitness level of the team as Zizou thought it was not good enough.. Pintus went later to Antonio Conte's staff at Inter and now is back at Real Madrid to be part of Ancelotti's staff.

Thanks for that.

 

[dinostar77]

Interesting Castles pinning his colours to the mast here. Alan nixon seems pretty sure it's Brendan and I think Ian McGarry knows Brendan, so probably more inclined to believe Castles on this one.

There was no mention of zidane in fridays transfer window podcast. I do wonder if Ronaldo has gone mendes involved to ty to lure zidane. After all there will be a intermediary or superagent involved in all of this.

 

[sullydnl]

Which one of the two headbutted someone during a WC final?

Fair point.

 

[ForeverRed1]

The real question is...

Can he do it on a rainy night in Stoke?

 

[FrankDrebin]

Zidane has the presence, the status in the game and the history of success as a player and manager but I still have this odd question mark over him.

 

[Lash]

There was no mention of zidane in fridays transfer window podcast. I do wonder if Ronaldo has gone mendes involved to ty to lure zidane. After all there will be a intermediary or superagent involved in all of this.

Yeah, seems like a bit of new info. It feels like mendes and Ronaldo engineered the move back to United, so wouldn't put it past him to engineer this too!

 

[red_de_pologne]

Was it Zidane who wanted VDB at Real as well?

 

[yipthatman]

Please football gods make this happen.

 

[Highfather_24]

I don't regard the body of source material for both claims as anywhere near strong enough to take them seriously as the basis for an argument.
So, who says?

The reports that Rodgers is the most likely contender are too flimsy to think that he actually is, and we also don't know whether the idea that United rejected Conte has any truth to it. Where was this claimed? "Reject" is a strange word anyway when you are supposed to be the one hiring.

Maybe reject is not the right word, more like "didnt consider".

Many good sources like Athletic and Stone have reported that our targets are Rodgers, Pochetino and Ten Hag. They have also reported the reasons why we chose not to move for Conte.

The sources linking Zidane to United are even more flimsy tbh. Maybe to a Bayern fan it might sound outlandish, but when I hear that the board wants a yes man(which Zidane isnt), it makes sense to me. Our board is shit. I dont think they care about the CV of the manager much.

 

[LInkash]

I was concerned that he doesn't speak English but thinking about it, he probably has more common languages with the players in our squad than not. Also, Bielsa makes it work and his squad is majority English speaking.

 

[Needham]

The guy lives in a Real Madrid bubble. It won't work and I don't think he would take the job. Utd need a professional manager who can come in and turn things around. Ten Hag has done it once...big whoopsy. Poch has done it twice. Brendan has done it repeatedly. Fecking Zidane. Maybe he will headbutt Klopp in the chest and volley the winner in from the technical area.

Have you just started taking creatine?

 

[2 man midfield]

Not keen but he’s not Ole so..

 

[yipthatman]

Surely Zidane is on another level to Rogers. I really hope they go all out on this. You don't win the CL 3 times 'because he had the best players' or 'got lucky' as I have heard a lot.

 

[Zoo]

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

 

[Sassy Colin]

 

[Judas]

Classic Fabrizio "at the moment" Romano.

 

[Hansi Fick]

Maybe reject is not the right word, more like "didnt consider".

Many good sources like Athletic and Stone have reported that our targets are Rodgers, Pochetino and Ten Hag. They have also reported the reasons why we chose not to move for Conte.

The sources linking Zidane to United are even more flimsy tbh. Maybe to a Bayern fan it might sound outlandish, but when I hear that the board wants a yes man(which Zidane isnt), it makes sense to me. Our board is shit. I dont think they care about the CV of the manager much.

I know that. All I'm saying is, it seems to me that we know very little or next to nothing, reliably, about what the club's plans are and what has happened with regards to a potential managerial change if anything at all. The best sourced info to me seems to be that the club is hoping to continue with Solskjaer (even if personally I don't think this would carry further than next summer even if he clings on).

 

[Dominos]

Interesting Castles pinning his colours to the mast here. Alan nixon seems pretty sure it's Brendan and I think Ian McGarry knows Brendan, so probably more inclined to believe Castles on this one.

Castles has also mentioned that United and City both like Rodgers, so it's not an either/or.

I really don't like Castles, he's a grown man spending his days winding up football fans by mocking certain clubs/managers/players every chance he gets. But his opinions don't mean his inside reporting is fabricated, I think he's more well connected than people care to admit. He seems to brown-nose some fairly high profile agents and players, particularly Mendes clients and he's well known to have ties with Mourinho's camp. I remember he had an exclusive interview with Evra couple of years ago who he covered stories on when he was still playing, he's reported a lot of De Gea in the past, and Ronaldo so I can definitely believe him when he says senior players want rid of Solskjaer.

Realistically Zidane won't be coming here and everyone will say "see I told you he was bullshitting".. It's very real possibility we're trying to convince Zidane and he'll turn us down, the article says after all that he doesn't really fancy it at the moment.

 

[Dominos]

For those who says Zidane is unproven because he's only had success at 1 club.. Do you think Bayern Munich were stupid to appoint Pep as he'd only ever done it at Barca? Ten Hag will also be getting a top job in the summer based off his success at Ajax, his brief spell at Utrecht will be a complete irrelevance to the big clubs who are chasing him.

It would be absolutely bizarre for a manager to win 3 CL's and 2 league titles in the space for 4.5 years and every top club in Europe to say "you know what, I think he's lucky and too big a risk for us".

Ultimately every manager could be a complete failure here. Zidane is no more of a risk than Ten Hag, Pochettino and Rodgers.

United are overcomplicating things massively. You appoint the most logical choice to bring you success, and if they don't work out you replace them with the next most logical appointment. Chelsea can win leagues and champions leagues with Conte and Tuchel but you would have United fans suggesting "I just don't think they're the right fit for United, not our type of manager". This is a major reason we've not won a big trophy in 9 years, pure arrogance.

 

[captaincantona]

For those who says Zidane is unproven because he's only had success at 1 club.. Do you think Bayern Munich were stupid to appoint Pep as he'd only ever done it at Barca? Ten Hag will also be getting a top job in the summer based off his success at Ajax, his brief spell at Utrecht will be a complete irrelevance to the big clubs who are chasing him.

It would be absolutely bizarre for a manager to win 3 CL's and 2 league titles in the space for 4.5 years and every top club in Europe to say "you know what, I think he's lucky and too big a risk for us".

Ultimately every manager could be a complete failure here. Zidane is no more of a risk than Ten Hag, Pochettino and Rodgers.

United are overcomplicating things massively. You appoint the most logical choice to bring you success, and if they don't work out you replace them with the next most logical appointment. Chelsea can win leagues and champions leagues with Conte and Tuchel but you have United fans suggesting "I just don't think they're the right fit for United, not our type of manager". This is a major reason we've not won a big trophy in 9 years, pure arrogance.

It’s not the success at one club arguement at all...it’s the manner and circumstance of the success which make it tricky to assess the scope of the achievement. There is a chance he was in the right place at the right time with the right aura and right message as opposed to a great tactician who executed a master plan.
Utd fans are seeking the later I feel.

 

[yipthatman]

For those who says Zidane is unproven because he's only had success at 1 club.. Do you think Bayern Munich were stupid to appoint Pep as he'd only ever done it at Barca? Ten Hag will also be getting a top job in the summer based off his success at Ajax, his brief spell at Utrecht will be a complete irrelevance to the big clubs who are chasing him.

It would be absolutely bizarre for a manager to win 3 CL's and 2 league titles in the space for 4.5 years and every top club in Europe to say "you know what, I think he's lucky and too big a risk for us".

Ultimately every manager could be a complete failure here. Zidane is no more of a risk than Ten Hag, Pochettino and Rodgers.

United are overcomplicating things massively. You appoint the most logical choice to bring you success, and if they don't work out you replace them with the next most logical appointment. Chelsea can win leagues and champions leagues with Conte and Tuchel but you would have United fans suggesting "I just don't think they're the right fit for United, not our type of manager". This is a major reason we've not won a big trophy in 9 years, pure arrogance.

Looking for the 'next Fergie' is costing us big time. I agree, just get the best person for the job. The job in question is winning trophies. End of.

 

[fergosaurus]

Zidane is class. No matter how great your squad is you don't win three CLs in a row if you don't have something about you.

People were saying he'd be found out when he returned to Madrid without Ronaldo but it didn't stop him winning his second league title. It's bizarre people would opt for the 'PL proven' Rodgers over someone of Zidane's pedigree.

 

[yipthatman]

Zidane is class. No matter how great your squad is you don't win three CLs in a row if you don't have something about you.

People were saying he'd be found out when he returned to Madrid without Ronaldo but it didn't stop him winning his second league title. It's bizarre people would opt for the 'PL proven' Rodgers over someone of Zidane's pedigree.

Exactly.

If it is so easy when you have the players how come City and PSG have struggled in the CL. They both have had really good squads for years.

I really don't understand how people can even say this. Sure, you could possibly get really lucky with a good squad and fluke it once. But 3 times?, no chance.

 

[Dominos]

Exactly.

If it is so easy when you have the players how come City and PSG have struggled in the CL. They both have had really good squads for years.

I really don't understand how people can even say this. Sure, you could possibly get really lucky with a good squad and fluke it once. But 3 times?, no chance.

+ another semi final.

+ 2 league titles in 4 full seasons.

If it's that easy to assemble an expensive squad of players and just throw them out on the pitch on their way to 3 consecutive champions leagues, everyone would be doing it. How many managers only last 6 months or 1 year in these big jobs because they lose the dressing room or they just can't get the best out of the players? At the very least commanding the respect of the players over many years, and getting the best out of them has to be worth something, it's incredibly common for managers at big clubs to fail to do these basics and that's why they don't last.

 

[OmarUnited4ever]

I was concerned that he doesn't speak English but thinking about it, he probably has more common languages with the players in our squad than not. Also, Bielsa makes it work and his squad is majority English speaking.

Its as you say, Communications wise Zidane ( who can speak French & Spanish, probably Italian too) would be able to speak with:

De Gea, Varane, Pogba, Cavani, Ronaldo, Bailly, Amad, Martial and Mata, and maybe Bruno who speaks Italian, so that's almost more than third of the squad

The rest are English or Portuguese speakers (Fred & Telles are probably hapless in English but Dalot, Bruno & Ronaldo can speak English).

I'd say if Zidane comes, he would need a trusted assistant coach who can speak English.

 

[JPRouve]

It’s not the success at one club arguement at all...it’s the manner and circumstance of the success which make it tricky to assess the scope of the achievement. There is a chance he was in the right place at the right time with the right aura and right message as opposed to a great tactician who executed a master plan.
Utd fans are seeking the later I feel.

That would be some luck when you consider the fact that he had success in both of his stints, the first time with a great attack and the second time with a great defense, he also had the same staff so it's not as if we can use the argument that it was someone else's work.

 

[Highfather_24]

United are overcomplicating things massively. You appoint the most logical choice to bring you success, and if they don't work out you replace them with the next most logical appointment. Chelsea can win leagues and champions leagues with Conte and Tuchel but you would have United fans suggesting "I just don't think they're the right fit for United, not our type of manager". This is a major reason we've not won a big trophy in 9 years, pure arrogance incompetence .

Fixed that for ya.

 

[Highfather_24]

Its as you say, Communications wise Zidane ( who can speak French & Spanish, probably Italian too) would be able to speak with:

De Gea, Varane, Pogba, Cavani, Ronaldo, Bailly, Amad, Martial and Mata, and maybe Bruno who speaks Italian, so that's almost more than third of the squad

The rest are English or Portuguese speakers (Fred & Telles are probably hapless in English but Dalot, Bruno & Ronaldo can speak English).

I'd say if Zidane comes, he would need a trusted assistant coach who can speak English.

For a manager famous for his man management, not speaking the language is a problem.