Zinedine Zidane – Real Madrid
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Real Madrid have always had some world class managers with big reputations, but when they sacked Rafael Benitez midway through the season, the club took a huge gamble by appointing Zidane as the new manager.
When Zidane took over, Real Madrid were third in the table and were well behind Barcelona and Atletico in the title race. However, under Zidane, there was marked improvement in the performance of the team and many individuals. The Frenchman also showed the guts to drop players he deemed not worthy of a starting role and this includes their big money signing James Rodriguez.
Since Zidane was appointed as manager, Real Madrid played 20 games, won 17, drew 2 and lost just 1 game! This meant that he amassed 53 out of the maximum possible 60 points, while scoring 63 goals and conceding just 16. What’s more impressive is that no team has won more points than Real Madrid during the same period and no incoming Real Madrid manager has gained as many points in their first 20 games in charge – or more goals.
Under Zidane, Real Madrid have made their way into the Champions League final and he will face the only team that managed to defeat his Real Madrid side in the League. However, the highlight of his tenure so far was an impressive away win against Barcelona after coming back from behind with just 10 men.
Real Madrid finished the league season strongly with 12 straight wins and this took their tally to 90 points. Despite this, Real couldn’t make up for the initial deficit and lost the league title to Barcelona. But the Los Blancos can still end their season on a high if they can win the Champions League.
