ZZ tops again
Football Italia - February 2000
Talking about his hopes for Juventus, his return from a nightmare injury, his current form and his thoughts on the coaching situation at the Bianconeri, Zidane seems very happy. He's a far different person from the one linked to a move to Spain and a man under the thumb of his wife. Although he claims winning the World Cup with France was the best thing to ever have happened to him
in football, he still wants to win another Scudetto in a Juve shirt.
Yet within 12 months of that glorious day in July 1998, when he lifted the World Cup, he was living a nightmare after a dreadful knee injury and a lot of personal criticism. But now feels he's right back on top form. The superb free-kick he scored against Roma in October got him on his way. "That goal released me. I was born to help others score but my own goal drought was fast turning into a nightmare. The drought I had suffered since
the previous January when I scored the decisive goal in the home win against Perugia was becoming a huge burden."
"Eight goalless months was becoming an inexplicable crisis. I did not like being booed and whistled during the Venezia game. I took it on the chin, as you have to, but I didn't think I had played that badly but I wasn't the same Zidane that played two years ago. In football you want it all and you want it immediately, but all I was asking for was a bit of patience."
"But once the worst was over it was always going to get better. That's when we came back from Rome with three very important points. I hadn't scored from a free-kick for two years. And, besides the goal, I wanted to show that I could perform at that
highest level for a whole game." And perform he has as Juve overtook Lazio in the first week of the New Year to head Serie A for the first time since November 1998. With Del Piero back on top form, Davids back after his eye injury and Zidane playing like the old Zidane there's no stopping the Old Lady. "I feel as if I am back to my best. I am in good shape mentally. There were psychological problems I had to overcome but I've done that by
myself. There is still the occasional niggle with the knee, especially when the weather changes, but I've learnt to live with the pain. I really want to go back to the way it was during my first season with the Bianconeri and start winning trophies again."
"Having won things in the past I think we need to turn the page and forget all our past glories. I think myself and my teammates understand that and, in a club that has the infrastructure of Juventus, we can rediscover the right ingredients to get back in amongst it."
In his time at Juve Zidane has worked under two of Serie A's top Coaches, Lippi and now Ancelotti. So what does he feel are the main differences between the pair? "I am indebted to both. Both have given me a lot. Lippi believed in me when many still didn't. I had to overcome my own reluctant nature and get going which I did. I couldn't give it my all with Ancelotti right from the beginning because of the knee. It was a long lay-off and I
needed six months to get back to top form."
