Zinedine Zidane made his intentions clear yesterday as he broke the hearts of millions of Real Madrid fans all over the world, confirming his departure from the managerial post at the Santiago Bernabeu. The 45-year-old left with his head held high, having won a number of accolades for the Galacticos including three consecutive UEFA Champions League trophies, the last one of which came hardly a week ago.
Though the last season was not his best and probably his worst in the last two and a half years since he took over the reign at the Spanish club, it goes without saying that Zidane has made his name immortal in Real Madrid history. His illustrious career, both as a player and a manager with the Galacticos saw him span out a very successful spell at the Bernabeu.
Now, with their influential gaffer gone, the biggest question that is running riot in the minds of the Madridistas is “who will be the next manager?” One can be sure about the fact that whoever takes over the top job, will have to make sure that he is able to continue winning trophies as everyone will be expecting him to efficient enough to replicate the incredible feat that Zidane achieved within a time span of mere two and a half years.
Quite a few names are making rounds of the Bernabeu since yesterday including a few high-profile Premier League managers as well. Rumours have linked the current Chelsea manager Antonio Conte along with the Tottenham Hotspur tactician Mauricio Pochettino to take the reins at the Spanish capital but the one name which is being speculated the most about is that of the Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger. Right now bookmakers have Arsene Wenger as the favourite to replace Zizou at Real Madrid and you too can get into the action for free with Betfred free bets.
Wenger ended his 22 years long exemplary managerial career at the Emirates Stadium last month and it was an emotional occasion for the manager and the fans. However, his reign at the club was becoming a little monotonous and according to a section of the faithful, a change was required to give the club a new dimension. Many accused the Frenchman’s ideologies and techniques of becoming cliched of late but no one can ever deny the amount of influence he had over his players and that his managerial career was one which was behind the rise of a number of stars including the likes of Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Patrick Vieira and Cesc Fabregas.
Real Madrid as a club have always been looking to bring in star players and match winners into the team who have lit up the pitch with their enigmatic performances and goalscoring prowess. Most of the times, the star status of these players has made it an arduous task for the managers to keep their heads in the right place and manage the “ego” of the superstars.
Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and more recently Rafa Benitez, all have tried and failed to show consistency in results every season as their success graphs have gone downward with the advent of their career at the Bernabeu. Zidane. however, did an exceptional job with the bunch of superstars and turned them into a side whose control was in his hands. Now with him gone, the club will once again need someone who can be calm in his approach and will make sure of the harmony among the players that currently looks under threat.
Though his best days looked to be behind him at Arsenal before he parted ways with the Gunners, Wenger can always start afresh at Real Madrid and a side filled with youngsters like Lucas Vasquez, Borja Mayoral, Theo Hernandez and Marco Asensio can’t have a better mentor than the 68-year-old. It is not sure whether Cristiano Ronaldo or Gareth Bale will continue playing for Los Blancos and hence Wenger will have to develop winners out of the new bunch of talented Madridistas. He has been known for his own style of philosophy and hence the name “Le Professeur” sits perfectly on him.
As a manager, Wenger will definitely have to give it his everything if he has to succeed at Madrid. The amount of success he can pertain at the home of the 33 time La Liga winners, it will be equally tough for him if he arrives at the Spanish capital in the near future. It is not a rare thing to see the fans of Real Madrid booing their own players and manager and Wenger will have to be well prepared to face all the sour vices if he has to reap the sweet fruits of success at the Santiago Bernabeu.
