Rarely will a coach begin a career amid such intrigue. If Gary Neville’s appointment at Valencia caused a stir, Zinedine Zidane’s at Real Madrid is a seismic, if not entirely unexpected, development. The man who could do things with a football that others only dream of has been fast-tracked to the coaching zenith, replacing Rafa Benítez as Madrid manager despite a lack of experience. It is certainly a risk, for both club and coach, but one too enticing for each to ignore. Zidane is a hero at Madrid, as he is at Juventus, Bordeaux and across France. He is accustomed to pressure, used to carrying the hopes of thousands and delivering when it counts. The art of getting others to deliver for you, though, is something else altogether. It is a significant risk in that things may not work out as intended, if Zidane struggles to bring success to the Bernabéu and rein in Barcelona and Atlético Madrid. It would be sad to see this titan felled by Florentino Pérez at some point in the future but perhaps he is held in such high regard by the club that his reverential status will remain intact whatever happens to the team…