Battle of dugouts to spice up Wembley clash
No panic buttons pressed at Borussia Dortmund yet
hardship for Pochettino, who made his professional debut with Newell’s Old Boys in 1988 and won the Argentine Primera Division in 1991.
Pochettino’s rugged reputation earned him a move to Espanyol in 1994 but he toiled in relative anonymity in Spain, winning only the Copa del Rey in 2000.
Zidane savoured some of his finest moments on the international stage but Pochettino won only 20 caps and his most memorable contribution was to concede the penalty that led to England’s 1-0 win over Argentina at the 2002 World Cup.
While Pochettino had a rural childhood, Zidane was raised on the mean streets of Marseille’s La Castellane district, where he forged his potent combination of balletic grace on the ball with a street fighter’s mentality.
After learning his trade at Cannes and Bordeaux, the midfield maestro established himself as a superstar while working under Juventus boss Marcello Lippi.
“Lippi was like a light switch for me. Before that football was about enjoying myself. After I arrived in Turin, the desire to win things took over and never left me,” Zidane said.
While Pochettino’s trophy cabinet gathered dust, Zidane hoovered up two Serie A titles with Juventus before helping Real win La Liga and the Champions League.
The latter silverware was secured thanks to Zidane’s sublime strike in the 2002 final against Bayer Leverkusen, while his majestic displays led France to glory at the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship.
Hugely influenced by Marcelo Bielsa, his coach at Newell’s Old Boys, Pochettino applied those lessons to seize his chance when Espanyol came calling in 2009.
Saving Espanyol from relegation, Pochettino kept them afloat for another two years with little investment in the squad.
The offer to manage Southampton in 2013 was a “dream” for Pochettino, who won over his squad despite intense training sessions which led Jack Cork to say you need “two hearts” to play for him.
After taking Southampton to eighth place in his second season, Pochettino was hired by Tottenham in 2014, leading them to third and second place in the past two years.
Obsessive about every detail, Pochettino even chooses the exact laundry detergent used to wash the first-team kit, while he bombards players with motivational text messages day and night.
“To me, if a player doesn’t work hard for the team, he won’t play,” he said.
Pochettino remains without a trophy in his managerial career, while Zidane appeared to have been parachuted into the dream scenario when he was appointed Real boss in January 2016.
Zidane’s only prior experience had been as assistant to former Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti, before a brief spell as the club’s reserve coach.
Yet Zidane has had the Midas touch, leading Real to seven trophies, including Champions League crowns in 2016 and 2017 and the La Liga title last season.
Just days after winning coach of the year at Fifa’s awards gala, Zidane is faced with a searching test of his coaching credentials.
“I don’t think I’m the best in the world. I’m lucky to be at the best club in the world with the best players,” he said. — AFP BORUSSIA Dortmund lost their status as Bundesliga leaders and PierreEmerick Aubameyang has stopped scoring, but coach Peter Bosz denies talk of a crisis before today’s Champions League tie against APOEL.
Dortmund face an uphill fight to reach the knockout stages of Europe, as they trail both Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur by six points in Group H after three matches.
Defeats by Tottenham and Real, before a draw at APOEL in Nicosia a fortnight ago, have left Dortmund, Champions League finalists in 2013, facing a group-stage exit.
All is not well in the Dortmund camp, despite what Bosz says.
A 5-0 German Cup victory at thirddivision Magdeburg last week is Dortmund’s only win in their last five games.
Saturday’s 4-2 defeat at Hanover 96 saw Bayern Munich replace Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga.
To make matters worse, Aubameyang, the Bundesliga’s top scorer last season, is goalless in his last three games, despite netting 15 times in all competitions so far this term.
Director of sport Michael Zorc said he was left “speechless” by the team’s sudden dip in form.
APOEL will fancy their chances at Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park, where defeat will end either team’s last 16 hopes.
The teams drew 1-1 in the first meeting, when a blunder by Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Burki saw Mickael Pote give APOEL a shock lead before defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos equalised with a header.
On Saturday, Dortmund’s shaky defence was brutally exposed by Hanover 96, who mercilessly dismantled the visitors with a series of counter-attacks.
In the space of two weeks, Dortmund have seen a five-point lead evaporate and they now trail Bayern by three points in Germany.
Dortmund and Bosz need a win, not just to boost their fading Champions League chances, but to get their entire season back on track. — AFP