#4 Zinedine Zidane wins the tactical battle with Massimiliano Allegri
Trending
Many ‘pundits’ would have you believe that Zinedine Zidane is a tactical novice and that he’s just very lucky to manage an incredible group. The same incredible group that was overseen by Rafa Benitez. The Frenchman now stands alongside the legendary Arrigo Sacchi as one of only 10 managers to have ever won two consecutive European Cups.
The strange thing is that we’ve already witnessed a similar story this season – Bayern Munich hammered Real Madrid in the first half of their first leg, and Juventus completely dominated the game in probably the most open UEFA Champions League final in recent memory. Zidane reversed things around then, and worked his magic yet again.
Zidane’s team talk was most probably tactical – Madrid’s left side in the first half had been negated by Barzagli and Dani Alves, but all of that was solved with two long balls at the start of the second half into the left channel. Juventus dropped back on both wings, and Marcelo and Dani Carvajal were free to wreak their havoc, as Madrid completely dominated the second half.
Zizou deserves respect and now stands as one of the greatest managers in Real Madrid’s history – not bad for a managerial career that is only 18 months old.
