HE MIGHT have lost a bit of his explosive pace, but Cristiano Ronaldo, raring to have another go at Champions League glory, is still as much the superstar as he ever was. Giving him company in a dynamic forward line would be the likes of Karim Benzema, Isco, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.
At the other end, a host of rugged Italian warriors is ready to face anything that is fired at them. Gianluigi Buffon, the ageless goalkeeper, and defensive trio of Andrea Barzagli, Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci have made many top attacks look embarrassingly toothless and are very much in the mood to continue their act.
But when Real Madrid take on Juventus in the Champions League final in Cardiff on Saturday, the brightest spotlight would not be on any of these superstars. Neither would it be on Juve’s attacking duo of Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala nor Real’s defensive rocks Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane, nor on the reticent brilliance of their midfield enforcer Casemiro.
It would be on a well-dressed, mild-mannered gentleman on the sidelines, who goes by the name Zinedine Zidane. And rightly so.
When Real won the ‘Decima’ in May, 2014, Zidane, who scored a stunning volley to help them to their ninth Champions League title in 2002, was assisting Carlo Ancelotti on the sidelines and had no real coaching experience. Two months later, he joined Real B side and two years on he was at the Galacticos’ helm, still without any experience at the top level, and managing a bunch of superstars such as Ronaldo and Ramos.
Just 17 months into the job deemed one of the most hazardous in the world, Zidane, one of the greatest players ever, is as cool and composed in the dugout as he was when he used to boss the midfield in his heyday. And he already has one Champions League, La Liga, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup each in his cabinet.
Last year, Zidane became the seventh man to complete a player-coach double in the Europe’s premier competition and this time he is in line to become the first Real manager to win a league and European Cup double in 59 years, after Uruguayan Luis Carniglia in 1957-1958.
Real secured the La Liga title in authoritative style, beating Malaga 2-0 in their last match to finish three points above arch-rivals Barcelona, but Champions League final will be a different cup of tea.
Six-time defending Serie A champions Juve, chasing a treble after securing the Cup as well, are masters in suffocating their opponents and counterpunching them with deadly accuracy.
Barcelona found out that the hard way in the quarterfinal, in which Juve just reversed the order, stunning them 3-0 in the first leg and drawing the second goalless. Monaco, one of the most free-scoring teams in Europe this season, also got a taste of Juve’s capabilities, in the semifinal which was almost over as a contest after the first leg itself.
The Italian giants, the only unbeaten team in the competition this season, have probably the most organised defensive unit in world football at the moment, but they are not all about rearguard action.
Alex Sandro and Dani Alves, their full-backs, take up a more advanced role than usual and are always a threat with their probing runs down the flanks. Sami Khedira and Miralem Pjanic are proven names in the midfield while Mario Mandzukic is thriving in his slightly withdrawn role in a three-man attack, also comprising the Argentinian duo of Dybala and Higuain.
And in Massimiliano Allegri, they have a wily tactician, who for long has been vastly underrated considering his impressive achievements.
Even though Allegri’s men are a match for Real in most departments, midfield would probably not come in that category. The likes of Modric, Isco, Kroos and Casimero have too much talent to Juve’s liking while the backup performers James Rodriguez and Marco Asensio, and striker Alvaro Morata who also is a second choice, can walk into to any starting 11.
Equally important is Real’s pedigree.
They have played in 14 finals, winning 11 of them while two-time champions Juve have lost in the final six times, including in 2015, when they went down to Barcelona.
The only time these two met in the Champions League final was in 1998, with Juve losing 0-1, despite Zidane, who played for the Turin side for five years (1996-2001) before joining Real, pulling the strings for them. Zidane was a part of the losing Juventus side in 1997 as well, but this time he is plotting their downfall and few would bet against him. dsp
