Gareth Bale has offered a fascinating insight into how Zinedine Zidane prepared Real Madrid during one of the most successful periods in the club’s history.
The former Wales international spoke about his experience playing under the Frenchman on The Overlap’s Stick to Football show.
The 36-year-old conceded that Zidane relied far less on detailed tactical work than many might expect from a coach who won three Champions League titles in a row.
Gareth Bale says Zinedine Zidane kept tactics minimal at Real Madrid
Zidane guided Real Madrid to three consecutive Champions League triumphs between 2016 and 2018, but Bale suggested the team’s preparation was often simple rather than heavily focused on tactical systems.
According to the former winger, most training sessions were based around standard drills rather than detailed match planning.
“If you had Barcelona or Bayern, you would do a little bit of tactics. The rest would be minimal. It would just be your normal training: possession game, little goals, finish with a game, shooting and you go,” he began by saying.
“The big games, then you do 15 minutes of tactics in defensive shape rather than attacking and that’s it.”
His comments highlight how Zidane appeared to trust the quality of Real Madrid’s squad, which included players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, rather than overloading them with tactical instructions.
Zinedine Zidane continues to be linked with Premier League clubs
Despite leaving Real Madrid in 2021, Zidane remains one of the most high-profile managers without a club.
His name has regularly been mentioned in connection with major jobs across Europe, including links with Manchester United, following Ruben Amorim’s departure.
However, Fabrizio Romano reported in January that Zidane is waiting for the opportunity to manage the France national team.
“He has a verbal agreement to become the new French national team head coach after the World Cup to replace Didier Deschamps. So at this moment I’m not aware of any concrete contact with Zidane,” the journalist said, according to UtdDistrict.
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