Zinedine Zidane pins his hopes on old order

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane looked supremely relaxed as he smiled his way through yesterday’s press conference ahead of tonight’s Champions League last-16 first leg at home to Paris Saint Germain.

“This is not a final for me,” Zidane calmly told reporters at the club’s Valdebebas training ground. “If we play well, with the team we have, we have a big chance. The rest, like what might happen in the future, I do not think about. Some things are completely out of my hands. I have nothing to prove. What people say about me, or my team, I am not interested in, that’s the truth.”

Zidane should have plenty to worry about. Fans and pundits around the Bernabeu have been saying a lot lately, most of it uncomplimentary about him or his players.