5 things Zinedine Zidane got right for Real Madrid in the 2016/17 season

MILAN, ITALY - MAY 28:  Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane hugs a smiling Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid after the UEFA Champions League Final match between Real Madrid and Club Atletico de Madrid at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on May 28, 2016 in Milan, Italy.  (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
Zinedine Zidane has quickly become one of the best managers currently

#2 Tactical Flexibility

MADRID, SPAIN - JANUARY 09:  Hat trick scorer Gareth Bale of Real Madrid shakes hands with Zinedine Zidane manager of Real Madrid as he is substituted during the La Liga match between Real Madrid CF and RC Deportivo La Coruna at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on January 9, 2016 in Madrid, Spain.  (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
Zidane’s tactical changes have turned the tide for Madrid this season

Zinedine Zidane gets a raw deal from ‘so called’ pundits, who seem to imagine that he is all about man-management and knows very little about tactics. Even when Zidane became the first ever French manager to lift the UEFA Champions League last season, many attributed it to him galvanising the squad in an emotional sense, while completely ignoring his tactical feats.

The Real Madrid boss has firmly shoved the words of his critics down their throats this season, most notably in two instances. Spain woke up to his tactical genius earlier in the season when Zidane named an unfamiliar lineup against Atletico Madrid. It eventually resulted in a 4-4-1-1 formation that annihilated the Rojiblancos as Ronaldo scored his 39th career hat-trick, thriving in the space afforded to him.

Zidane’s next magical idea came at half time away to Bayern Munich in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final, when Madrid were lucky to only be a goal down going into the break. Zidane switched things up, making Gareth Bale drop into midfield and pushing Ronaldo up to play alongside Benzema. The result? Madrid came from behind to win 2-1 scoring two crucial away goals that proved pivotal in the second leg.

Zidane is no tactical novice – he can mix it with the best of them. The only true way to silence his critics would be to create history and win two consecutive UEFA Champions League trophies. The only other manager to ever do so? Arrigo Sacchi.

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Edited by Staff Editor