Zinedine Zidane claims that he should not be compared with former Barcelona manager

New Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane claims that he should not be compared with former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola even though the duo have shared a similar path in their careers.

Guardiola was a combative midfielder for the Catalan club and he later gained managerial experience with the Barcelona B team. Even though he did not have any managerial experience outside the club, he was given the ultimate job of managing one of the biggest clubs in the world – Barcelona. The gamble turned out to be a major hit after Guardiola embarked on transforming Barcelona into one of the most successful teams ever.

Now as a manager of Bayern Munich, he has been successful but not on a similar scale. Still, he is regarded as one of the greatest managers in world football even before the age of 50. Zidane remains as one of the greatest players to have played football. He has been with Real Madrid in several capacities over the last decade. Now, he has been given the job of guiding the team through. Madrid recently parted company with Rafa Benitez after poor form since the start of the season. There have already been comparisons between Zidane and Guardiola. The Frenchman has requested the media not to make such comparisons.

“You shouldn’t make comparisons with me and Guardiola. He has achieved incredible things. Guardiola is a fantastic coach and what he is doing is very impressive.Guardiola is Guardiola. I will do my best. I will not compare myself with anyone. I never did it as a player and I won’t do it now. Good football has always been important at this place and I am going to continue that. It has to be offensive football, balanced, and nothing else. To win is essential at this club,” said Zidane.

Rafa Benitez has stated that being labelled as being defensive

Rafa Benitez has stated that being labelled as being defensive does not have any implications on him or on the style with which he prepares for the next game.

Many were sceptical about the appointment of Rafa Benitez as the replacement for Carlo Ancelotti. The Spaniard is known for playing defensive style of football, which is not really in the ethos of Real Madrid. It was one of the main reasons behind the departure of Jose Mourinho after just three years at the club. Benitez had a difficult start to his life at Santiago Bernabeu after opening his account with a draw.

Since then, however, performances have improved tremendously and the club now lead the la Liga table. A 3-1 win against Celta de Vigo kept them at the top of the table despite Barcelona managing to win their game in hand. This victory was achieved despite the team suffering from numerous injuries. The likes of Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale, and James Rodriguez have all missed recent matches due to injury. The ever reliable Cristiano Ronaldo was a major factor in the win over Celta de Vigo after the Portuguese scored the opening goal, which helped ease some nerves within the team.

Benitez says that accusations about his style of football are baseless since his team are top of the table.”I have been in football for many years and unfortunately part of what is made in press conferences seems to have more impact than what happens in games.For Madridistas, watching a match with intensity and determination – that is the greatest joy.My career has a number of records and titles achieved, regardless of what they want to say. I do not care how I am labelled.The important thing is the team, to built on a base of good results and feelings is the most positive,” said Benitez.

Enrique wants more than just the treble

In the world of football, winning the treble is an accomplishment that only a few clubs have been able to do as it’s something which is not easy to accomplish.

The Spanish side Barcelona has already achieved this feat on 2 occasions. The first time that Barcelona reached this feat was way back during the 2008-09 season but they repeated this accomplishment in the previous season in the 2014-15 season.

Even though this was a huge achievement, Luis Enrique is aiming to surpass what he did during his first year in charge of Barcelona.

During the first season that Luis Enrique was in charge of the Spanish club, he won the treble but he wants to do even more in the next few years.

In a press conference, Luis Enrique announced some of the things that he wants to reach with Barcelona as he told reporters: “The treble is now in the past, now we are interested in six trophies. Barcelona won La Liga, Copa Del Rey and the Champions League last season. It was the club’s second ever treble trophy-winning season.”

“Second seasons are usually better. There is the base work and I am convinced that the team can improve in several aspects. The motivation is there to be better than our opponents via continual development, if you stand still you get burned.”

The attacking partnership which is formed by Neymar, Luis Suarez and Messi is considered to be one of the best offensive combinations in Europe – you can almost guarantee that Barca will be favourites on the StanJames live bets index to be the next team to score – no matter what the score is or who they are playing?!

Not many changes are going to be made in the team of Luis Enrique as he already has a star studded squad with some of the best players in the world in each position and Enrique isn’t in need of splashing out a lot of cash in the summer transfer window, even if Enrique did sign a player in the summer that new acquisition can’t play in an official match for Barcelona due to the transfer ban of the club which extends until January of 2016.

Despite having lost against Bayern Munich and Valerenga, Benitez remains calm

In the latest pre-season matches of Real Madrid, they have lost matches against Bayern Munich and against Valerenga but Rafael Benitez believes that these recent defeats are not a reason to start getting worried about his team and about their chances of competing with Barcelona in the upcoming La Liga season.

“We’re talking about pre-season, friendlies and the team created enough to score. Our precision let us down. We’re not a hundred percent satisfied, but I’ll take away the positives, I’m pleased with how we pressured, the way we won the ball back and created chances. We’re missing players. Our top-scorers aren’t here. If you gave them 20 chances then these players would have scored, but the important thing is to create openings, that the team is solid and press in the opposition area as we did.” Real Madrid’s Rafael Benitez said after his team could only muster a goal-less draw when playing against Valerenga on August 9.

Cristiano Ronaldo was not featured in this match as he had picked up a minor injury and Benitez decided to leave the Portuguese player off of the pitch. There also were a number of other important players which did not perform in this friendly encounter including: Pepe, Benzema, Toni Kroos and Sergio Ramos.

The match finalized with a final scoreboard of 0-0 as neither side was able to score a single goal even though Real Madrid dominated the game and launched a total of 34 shots.

Prior to this underwhelming result, Real Madrid had played against Bayern Munich and lost against the German club as Bayern Munich came out on top with a 1-0 triumph and lifted the Audi Cup at the Allianz- Arena.

These aren’t the kind of results that Rafael Benitez and the supporters of the Spanish club want to see especially now that the Spanish League is edging closer and closer. Barcelona is going through a much more impressive pre-season as they have already sealed yet another silverware after defeating Sevilla and won the UEFA Super Cup.

Barcelona are the main rivals of Real Madrid and even though Rafael Benitez said that he is calm about his players despite their latest results, it’s something that should start to concern Benitez as he has a tough road ahead of him in his first season as the coach of Real Madrid who are not only expected to compete against Barcelona in the Spanish League but also make a genuine charge in the Champions League.

Zinedine Zidane is of the opinion that Juventus Paul Pogba should consider a move to the Spanish club

Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane is of the opinion that Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba should consider a move to the Spanish club if he ever decides to leave the Italian outfit.

The French international is regarded as one of the highly talented midfielders in the world. He is seen as a future contender for the FIFA Ballon d’Or award. A few years ago, it was almost certain that he would be leaving Juventus in order to compete at a club that fights for the Champions League every season. This has not been the case at the Old Lady, who last won the competition back in 1996.

Juventus have turned as a major European force in this campaign and they have reached the final where they will be competing against Barcelona. Even though the Spanish club are seen as the big favourites to land the title, Juventus have the ability to spring a surprise since they have a very strong defence. Pogba is at the front of the defence protecting his back four while also making runs in order to support his teammates in the attack. Chelsea, Manchester United and PSG have been spoken as potential destinations for the 21-year-old. The presence of Zidane at Real Madrid, though, could alter his future destination.

“I don’t know where he will end up, I have no information. Pogba has the quality to play wherever he wants.Now, if he has to leave Juventus… I adore Real Madrid and the best players play here, so I think it would be good for him to come.This is not a current issue right now but he has incredible potential,” said Zidane, who is in charge of the B team at Real Madrid. He is widely expected to be the coach of the first-team in the future.

Real Madrid have faced many disappointments against Atletico Madrid

Real Madrid have faced many disappointments against archrivals Atletico Madrid in recent years but none more so than this campaign. Carlo Ancelotti has failed to beat his opposition counterpart – Diego Simeone – in six attempts this campaign. Speaking ahead of the Champions League quarter-final match between the two teams, the former Chelsea boss stated that Simeone has proved in the last five years that he is one of the best managers in the world. The Argentine managed to do the unthinkable by leading Atletico Madrid, who have been in the shadows of their illustrious rivals for several decades, to a league title last season.

They almost managed to beat Real in the final of the Champions League. The two teams are coming up against each other in the quarter-finals in what will be a major test for Ancelotti. Real Madrid’s hopes of winning the league title have been rekindled this weekend after Barcelona drew level with Sevilla. However, this is unlikely to take any focus away from the European competition in which Madrid are the defending champions. Ancelotti himself is under huge pressure after seeing the team suffered three defeats in the month of March alone. A 3-0 win over Eibar during the weekend marked the preparations for this match.

“What can I say about Simeone?. He is a great coach, I like him a lot. He has proved himself, he is one of the best in the world. It’s an honour to face him and also a problem.We don’t have an obsession with Atletico, but with reaching the final of the Champions League. Our objective is not to beat Atletico, but to dream of winning the Champions League.Every match presents its own problem. Every match has its idea. Every defeat was different. It’s difficult to say what happened,” said Ancelotti.

Carlo Ancelotti is Most Experienced Manager

Carlo Ancelotti is one of the most experienced managers in football as the Italian coach has been in charge of top European clubs including: Juventus, Ac.Milan, Chelsea, PSG and Real Madrid which is the club that he is currently in charge of.

The Premier League, The Champions League, The Serie A title are just some of the pieces of silverware that Ancelotti has lifted during his managerial career but it seems like all of these accomplishments simply aren’t enough for the Italian coach as he has expressed his dream to coach the Italian national football team.

“My dream is to coach the Italian national team. And I hope in the future to realize it, because I’d like to win a World Cup with Italy.” Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti said during a conference which was made at a university.

Carlo Ancelotti has more than enough experience to coach a national side in the caliber of Italy as he knows what it takes to handle big teams and high profile players but the problem and main obstacle that will interfere with Ancelotti on becoming the next coach of the Italian side is Antonio Conte.

Ever since Antonio Conte took charge of the Italian national football team, they haven’t lost a single match and Conte has already stated that he intends to remain in his managerial position at least until the upcoming 2016 Euro’s.

“I’ll stay in my post until the European Championships in 2016. Resigning has never been an option. I think I’m a very responsible person, especially in difficult times, and this is one of those times. I made an important commitment and I intend to respect that.’’ Former Juventus manager said.

Italy is currently located in the 1st spot of Group H of the 2016 Euro’s qualification group stages as they have the same amount of points as Croatia.

If Ancelotti truly wants to coach the Italian national side, it could happen someday but it will not happen anytime soon as Antonio Conte is doing an exemplary job.

Franco Tancredi feels Carlo as best Coach in the World

Former Roma and Italy star Franco Tancredi says that Carlo Ancelotti is the best coach in the world.

The Real Madrid boss has had the privilege of managing some of the top clubs in the world like AC Milan, Chelsea, and Real Madrid. He has won numerous accolades including the Champions League three times in his career. Ancelotti continued his success at the Spanish club by getting them to the FIFA Club World Cup title. This puts Madrid as the world champions after more than a decade.Tancredi has praised the way in which he has made Madrid an attractive club once again.

During the days of Jose Mourinho, Madrid were seen as the anti-football party. Ancelotti has brought attractive football to the club while he has also been engaged in less confrontation with opposition managers and other issues. The fact that Ancelotti simply gets on with the job makes him an ideal manager for a club like Madrid with a lot of political pressure.Tancredi says that the former Milan midfielder is hugely benefited by his character. His soft nature helps him get the best out of players at every moment. Despite losing top players like Xabi Alonso and Angel di Maria, Madrid have been performing even better than last season.

“At the moment, he’s the best in the world, because he makes every team play well. This year, Madrid lost two of their best in [Angel] Di Maria and Xabi [Alonso], and despite that, he’s perfectly got the team back together. Plus, all the players talk about how brilliant he is, even the ones who aren’t playing.He’s a gentleman, a man with a lot of discipline. He likes to joke, but when he gets angry, he gets really serious. To listen to a global star like Cristiano [Ronaldo] talk so well of him makes me feel proud,” saidTancredi.

Carlo Ancelotti comes under Criticism

Carlo Ancelotti was put under heavy criticism and pressure as well as put to blame for Angel Di Maria’s transfer from Real Madrid to Manchester United.

The Premier League club had to offload £59.7 million in order to sign the Argentinean midfielder but even though Real Madrid received such a high fee for Di Maria, the transfer was not supported by the fans of the Spanish club as they insisted in saying that the player was invaluable after becoming the top assist maker in the Spanish League in the previous season.

In the last season of the Spanish League, Angel Di Maria created 17 goal-scoring opportunities for Real Madrid and this is the highest amount out of the entire league. There is no doubt whatsoever that Angel Di Maria was going through a superb form and this attracted the interest of Manchester United as they were willing to pay £59.7 million to sign him to Old Trafford.

After having sold a player that was such an important figure for Real Madrid, it came as a surprise to many fans of the club to see that he was transferred to Manchester United.

Carlo Ancelotti has now revealed that there were a number of reasons on why he gave the green light in relation to Angel Di Maria’s move to Manchester United and Ancelotti claimed that the Argentinean midfielder had problems not only inside but also outside of the pitch as he used to lose his control on certain occasions.

“Di Maria could take matches by storm with his energy, but he also used to lose control sometimes, misplacing important passes,” Carlo Ancelotti told the media as he responded to questions as to why Angel Di Maria was sold.

The arrival of the Colombian midfielder James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos forced some other players in the squad of Carlo Ancelotti on them having to be released and one of those players was Angel Di Maria.

Ancelotti praises Benzema

Carlo Ancelotti has praised striker Karim Benzema after the Frenchman helped Real Madrid secure a much needed win over Barcelona in the latest El Clasico. Madrid came into the match trailing behind table leaders Barcelona by four points, which was always going to be huge advantage in Spain. They needed a victory in order to keep their title hopes alive. The prospect of an El Clasico victory looked highly unlikely in the opening exchanges after Neymar gave Barcelona a very early advantage. However, three goals in response from Madrid helped them move one point behind Barcelona.
Karim Benzema was one of the scorers on the night, as he helped the club overcome the absence of Gareth Bale who was missing due to injury. Benzema may have scored only four league goals this season, but manager Carlo Ancelotti praised his performance by saying that he is on top form. Cristiano Ronaldo, who has also been an impressive scoring form this season, managed to get one from the spot. He has now taken his league tally to 16 goals, which is a huge distance ahead of Neymar’s nine in the league this season. Madrid also became the first team to score past Barcelona this season.
“I value the effort of the team. We didn’t lose our heads after Neymar’s goal and all went well. Isco’s performance was impressive but today we could talk about Benzema, Isco, Cristiano or James [Rodriguez]. It’s hard to talk about a star in this match but Benzema is on fire. The victory is important as we defeated a great team and achieved our objective of getting closer to Barcelona in La Liga. It’s not easy to play Barcelona. We fought so hard and the match was so lose,” said Ancelotti. The club had come into the encounter on the back of a 3-0 win over Liverpool in the Champions League.