“When you are the head coach, everything happens for you, you make all the decisions. Being a coach is being alone ”. Reflection, said by Zidane (48 years) a Frédéric Hermel in his passionate and intimate biographical portrait book Zidane, he summarizes his work. And the coach, with his diverse and discreet booklet, is becoming a coach who is marking an era in the white set. After 210 led meetings (141 wins, 26 losses and 43 draws in his two stages, January 2016 to June 2018 and March 2019 to the present day), his legacy in the white team begins to expand one of the most glorious stages of Real Madrid: since January 2016, when he took over the first squad is the coach who has won the most titles until today in five major European leagues: 11. Only Guardiola, with 10, follows him closely. But Zizou has more merits to break down:
Three Champions in a row.
Among those titles three consecutive Champions stand out, something that no one had achieved so far in the modern history of European competition (except Madrid in the 50s and Ajax and Bayern in the 70s). Now he faces another key challenge: eliminating Manchester City in the European tie. There also highlights another detail: no team has defeated him in a double match in said competition. It has nine knockouts passed in as many continental duels. On August 7, at the meeting of back in ManchesterIt will be another key date and challenge in your history as a coach.
One title every 19 games.
He french technician He has led Madrid in 210 games, winning 11 titles among all competitions: three Champions, two Leagues, two Spanish Super Cups, two European Super Cups and two Club World Cups. Goes out (either national or international) every 19 games: that is, one round of the league championship. Alone you need to conquer the Cup, who already resisted him as a white player: he played two finals (2002 and 2004) and lost both …
Two Leagues in three complete campaigns.
Another of Zidane's achievements is the conquest of two league titles in dfull seasons and difficult. The first (2016-17), after five years of waiting: I didn't win it in 2012. The second and last one, 2019-20, arrived after the break due to the pandemic of Coronavirus. The League was stopped with the Madrid to two points away from Barça, But on their return, the Whites had 31 of 33 possible points, winning 10 of 11 games. And without being able to count on a full Hazard due to various injuries.
Miguel Muñoz and Pep in sight.
After conquering his second league, Zidane's honors beat Johan Cruyff (10 titles with Barcelona). It only has Miguel Muñoz and Guardiola, 14 titles each (the first with Madrid and the second with Barcelona) ahead. But with one caveat: while the First he did it in his 14 seasons as top white director, Guardiola did it in one of the most fruitful of the azulgrana (2008-2012). Overcoming them is another challenge that lies ahead.
He repeated a historic double after 59 years.
EI Madrid reissued old laurels: he won the League-Champions double, something that was not 59 years ago (since 1958), when in a month he reconquered the national championship (April 27, 1958) and the European (May 28). Previously he had also achieved it in the 1956-57 campaign. Since then, the white team had added other doubles, but not joining the two most important trophies: League and Champions. On August 7, you have the possibility to continue increasing challenges, both club and personal. But first he must eliminate City …
26 players in 50 games
One of the great virtues attributed to Zidane is his workforce management. Zizou, who has drank from sources as diverse as Marcello Lippi, Jacquet, Del Bosque, Mourinho (He was an adviser to the president and accompanied the team on different trips, especially in the Champions League), Ancelotti, Bielsa, Guardiola …, he knows how to manage the dressing room. Not in vain, until 26 players have enjoyed minutes in 50 games that the whites have played in what it takes season (among all competitions: 38 in the League, seven in the Champions, three in the Cup and two in the Spanish Super Cup). One is still missing, against City.
And the template has responded in the best possible way: up to 21 different scorers saw door in the league championship: only Militao and Brahim failed to score (which he did in the Cup). In the entire history of the league competition never registered that a team had until 21 different scorers during the competition. That is another new record that Zidane's Madrid established in this recently completed League. Interestingly, of the 26 players that Zizou has used (only the youth players Altube, Miguel Gutiérrez and Javi Hernández have not played) you can glimpse the hard core components: Casemiro, Benzema, Ramos, Courtois, Varane, Carvajal and Kroos. The seven disputed more than 3,400 minutes of play, which is equivalent to participating in almost 38 games each. Follow them Valverde, Modric and Mendy. The three exceeded 2,000 minutes, while then there is another group of eight players, whose minutes range from 1,000 to 2,000. Eight players finish confirming the peloton.
He last is Marianowho has only enjoyed 84 minutes, but it was hardly enough only one for sentence the Classic against Barcelona. This group also includes players like Brahim (whose maximum contribution of time was in the Cup), Odriozola, who left on loan in the winter market at Bayern is the only league champion player in Spain and Germany (also by Cup) in the same season. A curious case is that of James, who asked not to participate in the last league matches because no He endured that Zidane did not count on himl for this final stretch (he only played 78 minutes in this stretch). Bale also chose to ask not to play in the last game after not having done it in the previous six (he played 100 minutes in that section) …