Zidane’s secrets as a coach

David Bettoni was the right hand of Zidane andHe was on the Real Madrid bench and revealed several of Zidane’s secrets as a coach on the RMC Sport After Foot program that he was very clear that the basis of everything was “playing to maintain the notion of pleasure.”

What did he say to the players before each training session?

“We were talking about the principles of the game, how to get the ball played, different organization of the team … But, above all, the phrase that always came to mind for Zidane was: ‘I want the notion of pleasure to be in all exercises.’ He also added that he wanted the players, when they got home, to have the desire to go back to training. It’s the first word that marked me from Zizou. “

Zidane as coach

“I can simply say that what I have experienced with him is reality. It is true that Zidane is an atypical coach, he is not someone who talks a lot with the media. And this is because he is like that and does not play a role of to be a character playing low-key. He has always been like that. Afterwards, we also felt that he was someone who had been a great player, who had been trained by great coaches and who told himself that he wanted to be a coach, so he he prepared a lot for it. He had a knowledge of football that made him make decisions, the tactic was reserved for his staff and the players. “

Cristiano Ronaldo

“With Cristiano Ronaldo, you had to be clear and precise. He had to know the reasons why he was doing a specific exercise. I have an anecdote. When we played Bayern, I told him not to focus only on Neuer, but on strategic targets in the exercise cages. I wondered why I was saying that to him. “

Benzema

“We had a good relationship because we spoke French. I think that, without being in his head, he wondered why he was not going with the national team. From the moment in which he does not go with the French team, he added more work. We saw him transform physically. He became an exceptional leader after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo. He knew how to take the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo with a lot of personality. He played much simpler with Cristiano, but when he left, he assumed leadership in a less winning Real Madrid. He loves to talk to the players one-on-one ”.

Departure from Real Madrid

“At the end of the season, when Zizou told me that he wanted to take a step back, he said: ‘You have to go for it, you are prepared and the players know it. I decided to start my career as a head coach. I am ready to take a first division team, in Ligue 1 for example. I am open to all championships but I am French and I know the French championship very well. “

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