Zidane Falls From Favour In Turin
Thursday 2nd November 2000
Just months after inspiring France to the European Championship, Zinedine Zidane has endured the worst week of his career in Italy and faces a tough battle to save his and Juventus's season.
Zidane's plight is a prime example of how quickly fortunes can change in football. Widely acknowledged as one of the best players in the world, the 28-year-old midfielder has fallen from grace at Juve with a startling rapidity.
His problems began when he was sent off against Hamburg last week in the Champions' League for headbutting Jochen Kientz. Juventus were already losing 1-0 at the time, but Zidane's first half dismissal was widely blamed for their subsequent 3-1 defeat.
Worse was to follow when Uefa decided to make an example of Zidane and ban him from five matches. His suspension will ensure the former Bordeaux player misses Juve's decisive game at Panathinaikos next week, as well as four of any possible games in the next round.
Then on Wednesday night, the former European Footballer of the Year gave one of his worst displays in a Juventus shirt as the Turin club suffered their second successive home defeat, this time to Udinese.
Press reaction was scathing after Zidane was taken off at half-time with coach Carlo Ancelotti claiming he was suffering from an injury.
In a front page comment piece Gazzetto dello Sport's Candido Cannavo wrote: "Zizou was like an empty suit of armour. Instead of his usual brilliance, there was disappointment: a breakdown in creativity, football without joy, a wish to find an escape route.
"Ancelotti finally gave him one at the interval. A sad Wednesday. Everyone must help Zidane pull himself together."
Corriere dello Sport, awarding Zidane only five marks out of 10, said: "There was a strange sense of lack of willpower. Not even a flash (of inspiration), a risk, even a gesture of anger."
Zidane must now sit nervously on the sidelines in Athens next Wednesday to see if he will also be blamed for any Champions' League exit following his sendings-off against Deportivo and Hamburg.
Four days later Juve face Lazio at the Stadio delle Alpi anxious to take revenge for the way the Rome club pipped them to the scudetto last season.
As a world-class player, Zidane usually delivers on such occasions. However the pressure will be immense and, after the week he has had, another failure could mark the beginning of the end for the brilliant midfielder at Juventus.
