Poll: Will Zinedine Zidane’s reign at Real Madrid be a success?
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The similarities may be there but Zinedine Zidane has asked not to be compared to Pep Guardiola as he begins his reign at Real Madrid.
Like Pep, Zizou has gone from playing for a major Spanish club, to managing the reserves, to taking on role as boss of the senior team, but can the French legend emulate the success Guardiola had at Madrid’s bitter rivals Barcelona?
The reaction from fans has been ultimately positive in regards to the managerial changes at the Bernabeu, though how much they are to do with Rafa Benitez leaving rather than Zidane’s appointment is open to debate.
He takes over at a time when Madrid find themselves languishing in third place in La Liga, four points behind city rivals Atletico.
Ladbrokes make it an 11/2 chance that Zidane can lead them to the Primera Division title at the first time of asking, and further cementing his adulation amongst Los Blancos fans.
But will he triumph in the Madrid hot-seat? That’s what we want you to tell us in today’s poll.
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Taking over at one of the biggest clubs in the world so early in a managerial career could be a major risk to Zidane’s future chances if things don’t work out.
We’ve learnt over the years that being a great player doesn’t necessarily mean you will be a great manager.
The likes of Diego Maradona and Dino Zoff were legends for their club and countries on the pitch, but neither tore up any trees when in the dug-out.
While Maradona got his Argentina side to the World Cup in 2010, they were routed by Germany in their first real test in the quarter-finals, effectively bringing an end to his rather crazy spell in charge.
Zoff, meanwhile, went from winning six Scudettos, two Coppa Italias, a Uefa Cup, World Cup and European Championship as a player, to claiming just two trophies in an 11-year managerial career with spells at Juventus, Lazio and the Italian national team.
There are plenty of success stories though of players turning their hand to management. The likes of Johan Cruyff and the aforementioned Guardiola shone in the dug-out at the Nou Camp, while Franz Beckenbauer also transferred his skills excellently.
The proof will be in the pudding in Zidane’s case, and at a club that seems to like nothing better than a managerial switch-up, any failures will soon be ‘dealt with’ by the men in charge in the Spanish capital.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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