Ivory Coast: FIF plays down Frank De Boer links to vacant managerial position

The Elephants are on the hunt for a new manager to replace the Belgian, Marc Wilmots who left his job by mutual agreement in November. A report by the West African country’s  popular local news website, Linfodrome, suggested that the former Crystal Palace manager, Frank De Boer could be named the Elephants gaffer.

In a statement, the FIF vice-president, Sory Diabate denied the legitimacy of the reports.

"It's no secret that FIF is searching for a new Elephants coach to replace Marc Wilmots. The Federation is working hard on this and will announce the name of the coach in due course." - Sory Diabate, FIF vice-president

The two-time African champions, Ivory Coast, are still licking their wounds after failing to qualify for the world cup finals in Russia. They were also knocked out in the group of stages of the 2017 Total Africa Cup of Nations, meaning a new manager will need to restore the nation’s footballing pride. Whether or not De Boer would be the right candidate, it is debatable, especially after the Dutch got fired by the South London club after losing his first seven premier league games with the club.

Do African nations seem to always looking out to get the least prefered coaches in the most competitive football leagues? Feel free to share your thoughts below.

Russia 2018: El-Hadary eyes historical appearance at the age of 45

The Pharaohs veteran goalkeeper, Essam El-Hadary is hopeful of making into the team’s squad for the FIFA World Cup finals to start on the 14th of June in Russia. El- Hadary, 45, would become the oldest player in history to appear in the world cup finals after Faryd Mondragon of Colombia featured against Japan in Brazil in 2014 aged 43 years and 3 days.

"My age is 45 years old, but for me, this is just a number on paper. I train hard every day, I don't know what the word 'impossible' means. I will keep fighting until the World Cup to have the chance to play and defend my homeland colours." - Essam El-Hadary

The Egyptian shot stopper has build his name on the continent, mostly remembered for amazing reflexes, vocal attitude and penalty stops in the Pharaohs’ three consecutive African Cup of Nations triumphs in 2006, 2008 and 2010. He currently plays for Al-Taawoun FC in the Saudi Professional League and did feature a lot in Egypt’s world cup qualifying rounds, most notably in the 2-1 win against Congo Brazzaville that sealed their spot.

When asked about what he thinks of their group stage opponents in Russia, he said;

"All the teams in our group are very strong. Saudi Arabia is an Arabic team and our matches with them will be very interesting, so it will not be easy.Russia will play in front of their fans and in their grounds, and when you talk about Uruguay you talk about an amazing team and big names like Edinson Cavani and Luis Suárez, so it will not be easy at all." - Essam El-Hadary

Even with so much respect for an opponent, we have to know El-Hadary to be a competitor and certainly a winner. June promise to produce nothing but fireworks.

Chelsea draw at 1-1 Arsenal

Arsenal Ladies hosted Chelsea Women on Sunday and were hoping to reduce the gap between them and the leaders, Chelsea. Their intentions, however, did not translate to their performance, at least not early in the match as they conceded to a Fran Kirby goal. Kirby finished off the opener from a Ramona Bachmann’s pass. This is all thanks to a poor clearance from by the Arsenal goalkeeper, Sari van Veenendaal, who gifted the ball to the Swedish striker. This gave a wakeup call to the Arsenal team who started attacking more and saw efforts by Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema saved by the Chelsea goalkeeper. Later on, Lindahl could barely do anything when Mead started running from the halfway line and finished past the goalkeeper with a Messi-like goal. That was not the end of it. The match saw Chelsea having a late attempt to claim victory ahead of Arsenal through substitute Cuthbert from 15 yards out but she was denied by Van Veenendaal. The result gave the chance to Manchester City Women to move level on points with Chelsea but they crumbled to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of mid-table Reading against all odds. Chelsea lead the league with 29 points, Manchester City Women are in second with 26 points and Arsenal Ladies are in 4th with 21 points but are still yet to play their 2 games in hand. Will the Arsenal Ladies manage to catch up with Chelsea who are undefeated in the league so far?

Olympiakos President banishes First Team players

On a night when Bayern Munich came from behind and won 2-1 against Sevilla, the buzz around the UCL couldn’t have been better. However, we had to look elsewhere and find out about the most interesting stories in football that happened in the past few days. Evangelos Marinakis had sacked three managers before Olympiakos slipped to third following a 1-1 draw with mid-table Levadiakos in the Greek League. This was because he believed the managers were at fault for the team’s poor performances this season but that did not last forever. He realized that his players were the ones who were not doing enough. In case you were wondering what happens to football players when they do not perform to their expectations, the President of Olympiakos has two ways of dealing with the problem. First, you banish them from playing for the first team. Marinakis banished his first-team players for the remaining 4 games and replaced them with youth players who love Olympiakos and the supporters much more than they do.

He is quoted to have said that, “[You care more about] your nice houses, your cars. You don’t care about the team. I and the rest of the fans have tolerated you for long enough. You will leave today and go on holiday.”

This is one of the most humiliating things that a player can go through during his playing career. The players have been forced to step aside and watch the young boys take charge. Next up, the president also fined the players. It is believed that he fined them $492 000 as a punishment. Olympiakos won the league 19 times in the last 21 years. They are used to dominating in football which explains their president’s harsh reaction. Do you think this is a fair punishment for the players?

Ronaldo sinks Juventus in first leg

Cristiano Ronaldo was the star of the show as Real Madrid defeated Juventus 3-0 away from home. The Portuguese forward scored two goals and turned provider to Marcelo’s goal against 10 men Juventus. The defending champions are now looking more like a hungry team ready to defend their title after seeing some poor performances on the domestic front in the early parts of this season. They dispatched Paris Saint-Germain in the last round and have already put one foot into the semifinals with a convincing win on Tuesday night. As FirstTouch Football, we divided the match into 5 talking points.

1. Luka Modric’s performances – The Croatian midfielder did not have the best of games against the Old Ladies. He was at fault for many counter-attacks by Juventus because of his careless passes. It was not Modric’s night as the player looked tired until he was replaced on the 81st minute by Kovacic. Much respect should be given to Zidane for playing Isco in the match otherwise it would have been shambles in midfield had Modric not gotten an extra player to help him in midfield. His performance was typified by his last kick of the match when he missed a chance in acres of spaces from a Marco Asensio cross. We hope this does not mark the decline of an ageing player who has been crucial to Madrid’s dominance in Europe for the past 2 years.

2. Ramos to miss second leg – Real Madrid Captain Sergio Ramos picked up a yellow card in the match after fouling Paulo Dybala and was given a yellow card for the second time running which means that he will miss the second leg of the clash with suspension.

3. Ronaldo – a clinical finish in the 3rd minute gave an early lead to Madrid who were playing unconvincing football. He later on scored an overhead kick for his second which gave Madrid a two goal cushion. Do you, if ever, recall Ronaldo scoring a beauty like this one before?

4. Red card – Paulo Dybala picked up a second yellow card for a stupid foul on the 64th minute and was given his marching orders. This killed the morale of the team who were fighting even with two goals down. The red card gave advantage to Real Madrid who scored the third goal through Marcelo who finished off Ronaldo’s defense splitting pass.

5. End of match – a 3-0 result has all but confirmed Madrid’s qualification into the next round unless Juventus provide a miracle and win with a 4-goal advantage which is looking unlikely.

Champions League Quarter-Final Overview: Sevilla vs Bayern Munich

Key Points

• Bayern will be brimming with confidence after demolishing Dortmund in Der Klassiker over the weekend.

• Sevilla may feel hard done by their result against Barcelona after conceding two late goals from a winning position of 2-0.

• Heynckes will have seen what happened to Mourinho and Manchester United last round after leaving Seville with what was seen as a cautiously optimistic 0-0 draw.

Fortune favors the bold they say. But whether or not the Bavarians have been bold, it’s debatable. What’s not debatable is that they have been favored somehow, perhaps by the gods of the UCL draw. Bayern Munich played Turkish side Besiktas which they embarrassed 8-0 on aggregate and now they play Manchester United's hangman, Sevilla, who have looked inconsistent at best this season. In truth, they can actually beat anyone on their day. The Manchester club had to force a 0-0 draw at Sevilla after some superb shot stops by goalkeeper David De Gea and two late strikes by Ben Yedder at Old Trafford ensured the red devils would fall again at the hands of a Spanish opposition.

Over the weekend, Sevilla almost humbled UCL and La Liga title favorites to their first defeat of the Spanish League only to make some mistakes in the final 4 minutes and walk away with a point. I am tipping Bayern Munich to walk away with this one but it won’t be as easy as most people anticipate.

Colombia: Footballs are worth more than rifles; a case of the reintegration of ex-rebels.

After over 50 years of civil conflict between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC in Spanish) and the Colombian government, a peace agreement was signed in November 2016. Wounds inflicted over decades, marked by bloody massacres, kidnappings, extortions and intense fighting are now being slowly healed by the power of sport through football. A lot of young people recruited into the FARC at ages of 17-20 who had their dreams of playing professional football dashed at the time are believing again. In fact, even during the period of the huge turmoil, they would still sacrifice to play football.

““We would carry 70 kilos [154 pounds] on our backs and walk up to 30 km [19 miles] a day upon the mountains. The first thing we would do before camping would be to clear a field with our machetes so we could play soccer. Sports have always been part of our guerrilla way of life.””

— An interviewee who has always been a soccer aspirant

After the peace agreement, close to 7, 000 former rebels are now organized into 26 transitional settlements who are run by the former commanders. Both men and women’s football teams have been neatly set up. From time to time, they play friendly matches with other villages, both civilian and other former rebels’ villages. As the ex-rebels await approval from Dimayor (Colombia's professional soccer authority) to include two B division teams, one for men and the other for women to make their footballing dreams a reality; they remain self-sustained.

The former rebels sell rifles to cover tournament travel costs and buy soccer equipment. At times they still travel for kilometers in metal boats for matches in distant villages, players, and supporters alike. The feared former FARC commander sees sports as well to reintegrate into civilian life and win hearts again as talks of forming a democratic political party continue.

““We’ve started to see an increase in local communities participating in sports events. Soccer is a way for us to win hearts and minds. For example, women’s soccer teams’ participation has increased. The fact they see our [FARC] women play has empowered women in these remote communities to organize and play.” ”

— The Former FARC Commander

The transitional residences are a hive of activity ranging from late night briefings on the peace process, internal issues, world global news; tutoring and jobs to maintain the living conditions. The close to 7, 000 demobilized rebels receive monthly food rations and 700, 000 Colombian pesos(around USD $250) payment each, from the government to purchase essentials.

During the time of the visit by ESPN journalists, one ex-rebels team were in an ecstatic mood after beating 94th Infantry Battalion of the Colombian Armed Forces, 11 - 5. They once met on the battlefield but now go toe to toe on the soccer pitch. The former rebels continue to wait for more support from the government and integration into civilian life is not slowing down for the beloved sons and daughters of Colombia.

Bayern hunting for their Treble

Bayern’s domestic dominance is so thorough that the UEFA Champions League is more significant to the club and its fans. They are chasing the dream of winning the treble again which they managed to win back in 2013. Where is this buzz coming from, you may ask? This is because of the fact that the man who led them to glory in that year, Heynckes, is the very same person who took over from Ancelotti this season and has brought back the confidence and the swagger to the dynamic Bayern Munich team. Heynckes marked his last season in football with a famous treble for the German champions before he retired. The club had to beg him to come out of retirement and help their club one more time since they could not find a more suitable replacement for Ancelotti. They have not been disappointed. The coach has since seen his club dominate with a league title almost certain to be sewn up in early April while a cup semifinal is a few weeks away. They have now focused their attention towards dispatching Sevilla in the quarterfinals of the UCL. The club is looking to build up on their last win against local rivals Dortmund whom they humiliated in a 6-0 win on Saturday. Sevilla however, are also focused on fixing their defensive problems after surrendering a 2 goal lead to Barcelona and were on-course to become the first team to beat the Catalans in the league this season. Both teams have been performing well this season and this will be an interesting clash. Will Heynckes succeed in claiming another treble this season? Only time will tell.

Klopp hopefull ahead of Champions League date with Liverpool

As the debate about Salah vs De Bruyne for Player of the Year brews up, the Champions League could not bring a better opportunity to evaluate the two players up close in a more competitive tournament. The two have been outstanding this season with Salah leading the scoring charts and De Bruyne likewise leading the assist charts. Both players have been crucial to their team’s performances this season and Manchester City are looking the more threatening team ahead of the tie against Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp spoke to the media today with a message of warning to Guardiola and his team that his team can hurt them. Manchester City travel to Anfield on Wednesday and Klopp is looking to make things as uncomfortable as possible for the Premier League Champions Elect. The Liverpool manager is basing his argument on his high-pressing style of play which often gets the opposition to panic and lose the ball in dangerous areas. It will be interesting how this would affect a City team that is based on Pep’s principles of playing the ball from the back.

Klopp is quoted to having said, “The way we attack the opponent, the way we defend high is unpleasant (four our opposition). If we do that they will have some difficulty coping with it.”

It is clear that the Liverpool manager is trying to play mind games ahead of the clash and it is such a shame that the master of mind games, Jose Mourinho, and his team are already out of the competition having been knocked out by Sevilla in the round of 16. It is important to note that Liverpool once suffered a heavy 5-0 defeat at the hands of this Manchester City team in September and they will be looking to redeem themselves once more after being the first team to defeat Guardiola’s team in the league with a 4-3 win in January. Klopp is expecting more goals. We are expecting many goals in this clash. Brace yourself for one of the juiciest clashes in the UCL.  

Alan Pardew leaves West Brom

The next manager predicted to be facing the sack has left West Brom by mutual agreement. Alan Pardew took over West Brom from Tony Pulis in November last year and has seen some poor results this season. He had been on a short sabbatical prior to this and his results since assuming the role of WBA prove that he had become rusty and was probably not ready for the job. Many believed that Pardew would bring the exciting football that the West Brom owners did not think that Pulis was capable of producing when they sought for the Frenchman. All this led to huge expectations which have since been turned to disappointment. This is because Alan Pardew managed to win only one game in his 18 games in charge. What a shocking run. It is no surprise that West Brom find themselves at the bottom of the table with just 20 points. Pardew has left the club in shambles and went with his assistant head coach, John Carver. This means that the club will be temporarily managed by Darren Moore who was the first team coach while they are looking for a possible replacement. The two potential candidates being mentioned the frame include Nigel Pearson and Craig Shakespeare who will face the difficult task of overturning the results for West Brom who are currently on a run of 8 consecutive defeats in the league. This is a nightmare that January loanee, Daniel Sturridge did not envision himself being involved in at the start of this season. Both candidates have had some experience working at The Howthorns with Pearson being an assistant manager at the club in 2004 and later taking over as caretaker manager in 2006. Shakespeare played for WBA during 1990-1993 and also became the caretaker charge in 2006 after the departure of Pearson. Who do you think will take over at West Brom among these early front-runners?

FIFA drops racism investigation on Batshuayi’s claims

The cases of racism continue. This time, UEFA has decided to drop their investigation into the claims of racial abuse directed towards Michy Batshuayi in a match between Dortmund and Atalanta in the Europa League last month. UEFA have done so without giving any reason why they were dropping the case which brings suspicion to the way they handle issues of racism. Many players have been racially abused in the past and these include Mario Balotelli, Samuel Eto’o, Muntari, Roberto Carlos, and Everton Luiz among others. UEFA are clearly not doing enough to end racism because many players are being affected by it and the abusers know that little action will be taken against them. In this instance, Batshuayi’s case has been dropped for no reason and the player has responded to that decision by posting, “LOL. It was probably in my imagination,” on his Twitter account. The Belgian striker on-loan at Dortmund from Chelsea laughs it off because of disappointment. This is the second time in less than a month that UEFA have decided to close the investigation on claims of racial discrimination after a black player publicly drew attention. Hefty fines and bans are placed on the players that take matters into their own hands when racially abused and leave the pitch like Kevin Prince-Boateng did. What is UEFA waiting to be done so that they could take serious measures against these inhumane characters who discriminate against other human beings of different race, religion, gender, sex etc?

Arsenal unconvincingly down Stoke 3-0

Arsenal were looking to pick up from where they left off before the international break with a win against Stoke City. The match started off well with some end to end stuff and Aaron Ramsey hit the crossbar after some beautiful play by Arsenal. Shaqiri came close for Stoke with a fine finessed shot from the edge of the box which nearly went in the far corner of Ospina’s goal. Although the match kept fans at the end of the sits, the first half produced no goals. It was only in the second half that new signing Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang found the net from the penalty spot after Mesut Ozil was brought down in the penalty area. It is important to note that this was after his strike partner (Lacazette) came onto the pitch replacing Danny Welbeck who was not producing the final ball in the match. The two forwards gave problems to the Stoke defense by roaming into different dangerous positions and creating spaces that were being utilized by Ramsey although he failed to score. It was on the 86th minute that Aubameyang found his second of the game as he placed a cool finish from a cross. The match did not end until Lacazette made his mark on the day of his return from a lengthy injury that kept him out for quite some time. Ozil was brought down again in the 18 area and this time Aubameyang showed his class by allowing Lacazette to take the penalty instead of claiming his first Arsenal hattrick. The Frenchman did not make a mistake as he fired the penalty to the left side of Butland in goal and got the keeper to give in the wrong direction. That summed up a fine late show from the gunners that stunned Stoke City. It is just a shame that there were many empty seats in the Emirates Stadium with fans disappointed by the club’s form this season. They want what is best for Arsenal but feel that they cannot get it as long as Wenger is still at the helm and steering the ship in the direction he likes.

Alli leads Tottenham to a 3-1 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge

Tottenham Hotspur’s star striker was facing a race against fitness to play in this London derby between his club and Chelsea. He was disappointed not to make it which meant that a lot of pressure was piled on Englishman Dele Alli and Eriksen to produce some fine performances and deal with Chelsea in the top 4 race. The duo did not disappoint but were made to wait after a great start from Chelsea. Alvaro Morata scored the first for Chelsea from a Victor Moses cross as he headed down past a helpless Lloris who had committed to try and keep out the cross. The Spanish striker celebrated with passion but Chelsea were not done. They kept attacking and probably forgot about their compact defending as Tottenham created a lot of space for Eriksen to riffle a shot from 30 yards out which was saved by Caballero. The same opportunity was presented again for Eriksen and he made no mistake this time as he fired a long range effort past the Italian Caballero who was replacing Courtois in goal. Alli then scored the second goal after running off the defenders and finished off a 50-yard pass from Dier. Alli coupled that up with another goal 4 minutes later which made it 3-1 for Tottenham. They eventually ran away with the win to end their poor run against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. This was Tottenham’s first win at Chelsea in 28 years. This result piles more misery on Chelsea and has all but confirmed their fate of Europa League football for next season. Chelsea were hoping to reduce the point deficit between them and Tottenham but are now left 8 points behind with 7 games to play. If they are not careful, they can easily be overtaken by Arsenal who have faced an upturn in form recently and are just 5 points behind them.

Manchester City just one win away from winning the EPL

Manchester City won 3-1 away to Everton and are just 3 points away from winning the English Premier League. They are already being called the Champions Elect thanks to their amazing performances this season. On the day of the return of the EPL from the international break, Leroy Sane broke the deadlock early on in the match. Sane’s fine volley on the 4th minute brought a buzz at the away end in Goodison Park and brought confusion to Sam Allardyce’s team. Gabriel Jesus added salt to the wounded side when he followed that up with a fine headed goal on the 12th minute. 2-0 was the scoreline under 15 minutes and this was not great start for Everton. When Raheem Sterling scored the third on the 37th minute, it was already game over for the Merseyside club. City ran with the lead at the break and Everton never looked like they could do anything about that. Yannick Bolasie tried to initiate what would be a great comeback against the high fliers by scoring on the 68th minute but that was it. Everton were poor on the night in front of their fans and they have to go back to the drawing board and find solutions on how to beat the best teams in the league. Their ambitions of fighting for Europe with the clubs like Tottenham and Arsenal are very far from their capabilities hence the need to be patient. City however are just a win away from being crowned the champions and this can be made special if they win it against their rivals United.

Zlatan leads LA Galaxy to a 4-3 win in MLS debut

It has just been 2 nights since the Swedish legend was mobbed at the airport by fans celebrating his arrival in the Major Soccer League. He recently confirmed that he was destined to move to LA Galaxy but had to put that on hold in order to help out Mourinho at Manchester United. He has already started paying off that debt of keeping the MLS waiting by scoring a stunner on his debut. Carlos Vela bossed the match early on as he scored a brace for newly formed club Los Angeles FC while Zlatan was watching from the bench. A Steres own goal made it 3-0 LAFC and Galaxy were looking they were going to lose. It was only after Lletget had reduced the deficit to 3-1 when they called on Zlatan to produce a miracle and save them from a huge embarrassment. Suddenly the team was playing to his strengths and putting the ball over in the box and his teammate Pontius benefited from that as he scored the 2nd goal for Galaxy. Zlatan then took the matters into his own hands when he scored a “worldie”. He connected a volley from 40 yards out and smashed it into the net on the 77th minute to make it 3-3 in the derby. The player who calls himself the God of football then scored the decider on the 90th minute from a cross into the box. He made no mistake as he jumped above the defender and headed it past the on rushing goalkeeper to confirm the win for LA Galaxy. What a way to introduce himself in the MLS. These goals have confirmed that Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored in all his first official games for the clubs he has played for. What a phenomenon.

Salah soldiers Liverpool on in the battle for EPL second

Based on his current form, Salah’s name being named on the score sheet is not a surprise to anyone who watches football. Goals have become a norm for the Egyptian who has reached 29 goals already in the EPL and is leading the race to the golden boot. This time however, he had to come to the rescue of Liverpool and snatch a late win against Crystal Palace. Just these dramatic instances are what brings joy to the eye as this level of competition had been missed after the short international break. Milivojevic scored the opener for Palace from the penalty spot after Karius brought down Wilfried Zaha in the 18 area. Hodgson’s side were off to a good start and kept the Merseysiders at bay for the most part of the match until Senegalese forward Sadio Mane scored the equalizer just after the restart. It was not easier for Liverpool after that as Christian Benteke missed two glorious chances to bring back the advantage to the home side. Crystal Palace were left to rue their missed chances late on in the match as top goalscorer, Mo Salah calmly finished past Hennessy on the 84th minute. Once again, the Egyptian’s goals have made the difference, confirmed the win for Liverpool and put pressure on Manchester United on the race for runners up.

United also ended up winning 2-0 in their match against Swansea. Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez were on the score sheet and it was long overdue for the latter to contribute for the club in terms of goals.

Neymar to return sooner than expected?

Brazilian forward Neymar is set to return in two to three weeks. Many had doubted that the player would play again this season and also expected him to miss the World Cup in Russia. Paris Saint-Germain boss Unai Emery has confirmed today that the Brazilian player will return in a space of 2-3 weeks after a successful operation and treatment back in his homeland, Brazil. This eases concerns of the player’s availability at the World Cup after a fractured metatarsal. The player missed his club’s crucial clash with Real Madrid and was probably disheartened by the poor show as his team bowed out of the Champions League. The estimated time of his return was set between 2-3 months by team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar. This explains everyone’s surprise at Emery’s statement. Neymar has since been visited by PSG President Al-Khelaifi in Brazil for he is an important player for his Paris project. The player will miss the domestic cup final but he will be following it live on television as stated by his coach. The countdown to his return begins but this will mostly be done by the Brazilians as opposed to his club supporters. This is because PSG are already in a comfortable position to win Ligue 1 and are on course to lift the cup as well. It would have been a different case had they gone through to the next round of the Champions League. We wish Neymar a speedy recovery.

Zidane talks about his intentions and the future of Isco

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has backed Isco to stay at Real Madrid beyond this season because he is an important first team player. Zidane has no issue with the comments the player gave about his situation in Madrid. The class of the coach is highlighted when he diplomatically handled the media who were looking for a juicy response from the coach as he said that Isco’s comments were open to interpretation. He used his experience as a top player and said that Isco is an important player and it is normal that a player of his caliber wants to play more. He went on to add that he is happy with his performances as he gives 100% always. It seems that the player will not be in trouble as we had anticipated.

In other news, Zidane also talked about his intentions of remaining as the Real Madrid boss beyond this season and has left the matter in the club’s hands. He acknowledges that his future depends on the results he produces as a coach. He does not feel tired of the pressure at all so is seeking to finish the season as strong as possible in order to prevent the sack. Real Madrid currently lying in 3rd with a 15 point gap between them and bitter rivals Barcelona. The UEFA Champions League could prove to be Zidane’s lifeline if he manages to win it and end the season with a piece of silverware to show for the board who expect a lot from their managers every season. Zidane has been at Madrid for 18 years, he knows how it works. Who thinks that the team will fight for him and defend the UEFA Champions League again this year? Do not forget to drop your thoughts in the comment section below.