Zinedine Zidane is one of biggest legends of the beautiful game. Not many footballers have gone on to become great managers but Zidane is one of the few exceptions. Zidane made his managing debut for one of the biggest clubs in the world, Real Madrid, and for the time he was there, he became one of the most successful managers of the modern game. In three short years, he managed Real Madrid to three consecutive Champions League Titles, two FIFA Club World Cups, a Supercopa de Espana and one La Liga Title.
The Los Blancos said goodbye to Zidane along with Cristiano Ronaldo which opened the door for many big clubs to potentially acquire the services of the French man. Manchester united has had some forgettable seasons since Sir Alex’s retirement. They have had some success with Mourinho winning the Europa League and the FA cup but the lack of consistency, transfer collapse and tension in the team has raised some serious questions. Mourinho is a great manager but his style and personality is quite different from what the Red Devils supporters are accustomed to. He has been criticized of wanting to sign over-aged players and not focusing on the development of the young players in the squad. Constant changes in formation, boring tactics and lack of game time for young talent are underwhelming for the supporters.
Rumors have started to foil with the instability of Manchester United and Zidane looking for a new club. He could potentially be the next United boss as soon as January if Mourinho still fails to impress and get a winning run. He jokingly said in an interview that United would have to pay him a lot of money if they sack him but Manchester United isn’t a club which is short of money by any means especially if it means getting rid of Mourinho will do more good than harm to the club.
Zidane is known for winning trophies wherever he goes but here is what the appointment of Zidane could also bring for Manchester United;
1. One-on-One Coaching
Zidane is relatively young for a football manager at 46 years of age. This reduces the player-manager communication gap and as we saw at Real Madrid. He can help the likes of Martial and Rashford reach their full potential at the club and most importantly, Pogba, who is still yet to reproduce the form he displayed at the World Cup.
2. Balanced Formation and Tactics
Zidane has proved to be a footballing genius on the field and has taken it to another level in his early managing career. His ability to use the players’ natural gifts to determine their role and ultimately the shape based on the opposition is exactly what Manchester United need right now. With the huge squad United has, having Zidane will ensure that they will have the best playing eleven on the field. This is the complete opposite of Mourinho and his tactics which look to employ a system according to his style of play and not the players’ individual strengths. The biggest example of this is Pogba.
3. Attacking Mindset
This is pretty much self-explanatory with Zidane being who he is. Manchester united was known for being one of the deadliest team on the counter and wings but recent seasons have witnessed a very unfamiliar Manchester United with the lack of pace and creativity, especially in the midfield. If people claim the squad isn’t good enough, then they should remember that cleverly and Anderson played on a regular basis with world class performances to their names.
4. More Big Name Signings
United has had a terrible transfer window with a 3rd back up goal keeper, a decent Brazilian midfielder, Fred, and a 20 year old right-back. Due to the success and progress made by Manchester City along with the emergence of Liverpool and Tottenham, it is going to be an incredibly difficult season for the Reds. Moreover, in recent years, high profile targets have not been favoring a move to Manchester since Sir Alex’s retirement and the instability of the Club. With Zidane onboard, many players, especially Real Madrid players, would be willing to join him if he joins united along with other world class talent around the world. The likes of James Rodrigues, Isco, Mbappe and others will be more open to a move.
5. More Unity From the Fans
Sure, Mourinho is a big name in the footballing world but it has been hard for many of the fans to accept the man they once hated while he was managing Chelsea, one of their league rivals. They often taunted Mourinho’s tactics including the famous Bus Parking formation which was great for underdog teams but definitely not the United Way of Football. Watching the dominance of Real Madrid in the last few years, fans would be more than delighted to experiencing the same success.
