Zidane & the secrets of coaching, with FIFA 21 Career Mode!

I knew it was going to be hard. I knew it was going to be much harder to coach than to play. I can now confirm that it is indeed much harder to be a manager. FIFA 21’s career mode has had a massive overhaul I’m talking, wholesale changes that revolutionise the game mode And reflect the challenges facing an elite-level manager Being a huge Carrer Mode fan myself I want to get some tips to take on this year’s version… …so I’m gonna pick the brains of one of the world’s best gaffers… Zinedine Zidane … for unique insight into top level management Hello Zinedine, how are you? Hello.

00:38 - It’s a real pleasure for me The pleasure is all mine My first question is very simple, it’s an easy one: What makes a good manager? A good manager must be prepared. He must prepare himself for all the complications in a season Because once the season starts, there’s no stopping it! And that is what I love: to prepare my players, to prepare the team, to prepare everything all together so that we can win, eventually, as much as possible. Could you tell us, to what extent, the “Match Sharpness”… …can give you the edge in a game? Like in FIFA21, you can see how mentally and physically ready their players are. We ask a lot from the players. All the games we have in a season sometimes as many as 55-60 games.

01:39 - It’s physical, it’s technical, there is a lot of psychology in there too So the rapport that I have with my players is important. You need to be in constant dialogue with the players. If the player understands you and vice versa, that’s when interesting things start to happen. In the Career Mode of FIFA for the decisive and important moments you can take control of the gameplay Are there times when you’d like to control the game and play on the pitch yourself? I would like to? Yes, from time to time I don’t like to be sitting down, far away from my players. The DNA of the club is to win It’s to be on the pitch, and to give it our all to win So yes sometimes, as a I’ve been a player, and that I love it…

02:39 - But after two minutes, it goes away, as I have to focus on my actual job… …on the side of the pitch! And also in the Career Mode in FIFA as a manager… …you can change the positions of the players How do you approach changing a player’s position? A player must have many functions in the variations of the game and his team Going forward, there needs to be flexibility You need bring some madness and some creativity to the game when attacking. On FIFA 21, they’ve improved the level of the AI Do you think that in real life the level of football has improved? That there are no easy games, no underdogs anymore? There are no small teams There are no small teams, no small players anymore. All of that is over. I think any well prepared team, can beat any other team.

03:51 - At the same time, I think that is what makes football even more interesting nowadays It’s why I love it. You must be very prepared, because even if you are playing a bottom ranking team which is better prepared, physically fitter, with more desire and motivation to win then they will defeat you. Which player from history would you have wanted to play alongside? There are a few, but there is one in particular and of course that player was was my idol, it was Enzo Francescoli I didn’t have the chance to play with him but against him, and I got his jersey afterwards. and my dream, since we are talking about anecdotes, was to sleep wearing his jersey. So I fulfilled my dream to sleep wearing his jersey, which my wife found very funny, because it was covered in advertising.

05:02 - But I fulfilled my dream! My last question, an easy one again: What advice would you have given yourself before becoming a manager? To prepare, to prepare, to prepare, to prepare Zinedine, Thanks you so much for your time and your knowledge. Goodbye Bye bye See you soon Till next time Till next time .