Zinedine Zidane says he feels more pressure on the bench at Real Madrid than he did during his playing days.
The Frenchman is assistant to boss Carlo Ancelotti at the Santiago Bernabeu and, in an interview with Canal + France, spoke of his position at the club and the role he has to play.
“In the beginning I didn’t feel I needed to be the one doing the talking. Now I feel as though I need to say things, to both the players and the Coach.
“It’s important to say what you think and not keep it bottled up. To be honest, I feel more under pressure now than I did when I was playing.
“There would be some tension before a World Cup final, although only a little, but it’s not the same kind of pressure. The sort of pressure I’m now under is much stronger.
“With Ancelotti it all happened quite naturally. I spoke with him on the phone a few days before he joined and sorted everything out. That was a good moment for me, him and the club.
“I wouldn’t have been able to take on the role with a Coach I didn’t know. For example, I could never have been [Jose] Mourinho’s assistant.
“Besides, he already had one. It wouldn’t have been right to take on the job of right-hand man.”
Zidane went on to speak about his retirement from the game and what the future might hold for him.
“It seems such a long time since I stopped playing and it wasn’t a good time for me. If I could do it again I’d have retired sooner.
“I’ve played for some great clubs and been a French international. I was playing 60 or 70 games a season in the end and couldn’t give any more. I needed to rest but it dragged on too long.
“I’ve taken my time in returning because I wanted to know exactly what I wanted to do. That’s why I took time to reflect and what I’m doing now is putting myself on the path to eventually becoming a Coach.
“I’m surrounded by experienced people, but it’s not easy to begin at a club like Real Madrid and I’ve started out as a second Coach.
“I analyse the goals we concede, how they were conceded and in which minute. I also help to prepare for our next matches. Paul Clement does the training sessions and I work more on tactics with the players as well as Carlo.
“I’m always available for the players if one of them is not happy. I’m here to talk things through with them if that’s what they want. It’s the player who will ask if he needs help.
“I’ve learned so much under Carlo and hope what I’m learning now will serve me well to build something in the future.
“Hopefully, in 10 years’ time, in another interview, I’ll be able to say I’ve done well,” he concluded.
