Just a few weeks ago it seemed that Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane could do no wrong. Last January, he took over a team in disarray after Rafael Benitez's unfortunate six months in charge, made a few minor tweaks, and within four months led to them to a Champions League final win over rivals Atletico in Milan.
An unstoppable run of form ran through August's UEFA Super Cup win over Sevilla, and into the start of the La Liga campaign -- the 2-0 victory at Espanyol on Sept. 18 was Madrid's 16th straight La Liga win (including last season), equalling the all-time record set by Pep Guardiola's Barcelona side in 2010-11 -- and Zidane was being ranked alongside Guardiola as one of the game's best ever coaches after less than a year.