What’s the story?
Former Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has taken a swipe at the people who doubted the ability of legendary France midfielder, Zinedine Zidane, as a manager. The current Bayern Munich manager heaped praise on his former assistant and stated that he has been a champion since the former Juventus midfielder won the Champions League in his very first season as a coach.
Despite doing a wonderful job at the capital club, many still claim the World Cup winning midfielder’s success is more due to luck than actual coaching skill, but Ancelotti has backed Zidane.
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"He has proclaimed himself world champion after winning the Champions League and some believed he was not going to to be a coach," Ancelotti said to Gazzetta Dello Sport.
The Bayern Munich manager then went on to praise Portugal captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, labeling him as a “phenomenon.” The former Chelsea boss believes that a Cristiano Ronaldo at the peak of his powers is someone who is impossible to stop—and that it is for that reason that the Real Madrid number 7 won his 4th Ballon d’Or.
"He is a phenomenon, an incredible professional who lives for football and is giving a lot," he continued.
"When he is playing at his maximum level, he can do what he wants and stopping him is very difficult."
When asked about the Galacticos’ chances in the Champions League, the Italian stated that they must work hard in order to qualify for the next round as the Naples club are a tricky team to play against.
In case you didn’t know…
Real Madrid are on a roll as they are yet to taste defeat this season. In fact, the Blancos are currently on a club-record 37 games unbeaten run and could break Luis Enrique’s record of 39 games without defeat if they avoid defeat in their two-legged Copa Del Rey encounters against Sevilla and a league match against Granada.
Heart of the matter
And yet, there are people in the football fraternity that believe the Frenchman is riding high on the horse of luck. There are some quarters of Madrid’s very own fan base that refuse to rate Zinedine Zidane as the right manager for the club.
What next?
Madrid will begin their year by Sevilla in the Copa Del Rey and will be looking to extend their unbeaten run. With a 6-point lead in La Liga, the Blancos are in a better position in the league than they were at this point last year and will certainly look to seize this opportunity and go all the way win the league.
Sportskeeda’s take
While it is true that the Merengues haven’t been entirely convincing with the way they have won games thus far, Zidane’s work—and the subsequent results—are a commendable feat as it is hard to recall a manager having such an instant effect on the club like he has.
