When legends become coaches, do they turn into legendary coaches?
The top three things can bring out the best in a footballer on the pitch.
- When the special woman in your life watching you play (Mommy included)
- When your child watching you play
- When your football idol watching you play
The expectation is that Zinedine Zidane’s return would inspire a group of players who were part of the football generation that was inspired by the brilliance of Zidane on the pitch. Having Zidane in the dressing room should bring the best out of Real Madrid players. Every match will be auditioning in front of one of your idols.
Since their two arch rival teams have enjoyed success with old players coming back as managers, should Real Madrid fans excitement be justified?
If there is a team that is known to allows no room for coaching mistakes, Real Madrid takes the cake. The president of the club tends to go for what is popular. When the fans turn their back on you, the president listens. Real Madrid does not allow too much friction in the dressing room. Changes are made when the squad is not fusing well, and these changes are rapid.
The top 3 teams in La Liga have gone back to their roots. The success that Pep Guardiola had with his old club FC Barcelona, might have inspired Barcelona and their toughest rivals to keep operations ‘in house’. Currently, the top three teams in La Liga are managed by former players. If given the permission, these managers can still put on the jersey and help their teams on the pitch.
Barcelona enjoyed a ‘Treble’ season under Pep Guardiola. It was also under Guardiola that the team became the most feared side on the planet Earth. Their treble success was repeated under their current manager; Luis Enrique in 2015. Both managers were once players and captains of the team. And the success they’ve both enjoyed might indicate that a manager should be a fan of a club. Who can be more of a fan, than a person that made a living with the club?
Atletico Madrid has also enjoyed success with Diego Simeone. Simeone is also an ex-player of the club. He had two spells with them as a player. His third spell is as a manager, and he managed to do the unthinkable by winning the league. The La Liga is guarded by the best players in the world. Two of these players will go down in history as the best ever. Messi + FC Barcelona and Cristiano + Real Madrid, have possibly made the La Liga the most difficult trophy for any other team to get their hands on it. Atletico Madrid won the league in 2014, despite being considered as 3rd best in the league. They won the league through the most direct route possible. It was done by beating the teams that were supposed to be their toughest hindrance. They avoided home defeats to both Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. It was a draw match on both occasions. A 2-2 draw with Real and a goalless draw with FC Barcelona. On the return matches, they beat Real Madrid at the Bernabeu by a solo goal. Their two draws with FC Barcelona will be viewed as wins. The last game of the season was a return match at the Camp Nou. FC Barcelona needed a win to secure the title. Before kickoff, Barcelona was sitting at second place with 86 points, while Atletico sat on top of the table with 89 points. Because of the positive goal difference, FC Barcelona had over Atletico, and a draw in their head to head match, all Barcelona need was to win that match. A win would have stripped the title from Atletico Madrid, who have been on top of the table for last six weeks. Barcelona was the favorite in this matchup. They were the better team, and they did not have the pressure of not losing something they hadn’t won in a relatively long time. Atletico Madrid was fine with any result but a loss. The match ended in a 1-1 draw. Despite having home advantage and scoring first in the match, FC Barcelona couldn’t see off Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid. They almost won a UEFA Champions League that same year. (We don’t want to remind Atletico fans).
Diego Simeone time with Atletico Madrid would be considered a success. To be competing in a league that has two of the best teams in the world, and still keep pace it them is remarkable. It is natural to count other teams out of the La Liga title race, and give the tournament to Barcelona or Real Madrid. But Atletico Madrid is currently the only team in La Liga that will command some hesitation from fans before an attempt to rule them out.
