Real Madrid: Debunking the 5 biggest myths about Zinedine Zidane as a manager

5. Zidane’s brand of football is boring

This is somewhat similar to the tactical criticism of Zidane, but this is related more to Zidane’s style of play. Entertainment is a key aspect of the game that the fans want, and in that sense, Carlo Ancelotti is someone who has never failed. Ancelotti has always promised to put on an exhibition of breathtaking football in the Bernabeu, and he has succeeded in it. Zidane has been able to learn a thing or two from his master, unlike what the popular myth conveys.

Zidane has never prioritised entertainment over structural balance, but he did manage to deploy a beautiful brand of football. That brand of football doesn’t have a fancy name, but is still effective and helps a team win games. Under Zidane, Real Madrid were very comfortable while playing in any style, and they were adaptable.

But the most common aspects of Zidane’s system are wing-play and crosses, combinational play, and capitalising on giveaways or the mistakes of oppositions. They were definitely effective, but some of those plays under Zidane were a thing of beauty, particularly in his first spell as Real Madrid’s manager.

And the most beautiful part was the way the midfielders brought the ball out of pressure in the centre of the park, and in the way, pacy wingers were waiting on the flanks to take charge of the empty greenfields ahead of them and counter-attack. And the goals didn’t have any particular template. During some parts of his spells, there were too many crosses which made it look annoying, but Zidane always found ways to help the team break through the tightest of low blocks.

Real Madrid scored a record 173 goals under Zidane in 2016/17 and went on a 40-match unbeaten streak in the same season. This is surely not possible under a manager who plays it safe and deploys a boring brand of football. Yes, the three points were given more importance, but it was never that boring.