Zinedine Zidane believes in the new FCB coach: “Celestini makes miracles come true”

If the great Zinedine Zidane (51) gets his way, Basel doesn’t have to worry. In fact, fans of the bottom tier of the Super League can even dream of a place in the European Cup at the end of the season. Because: “Fabio makes miracles come true,” says the French world champion and former Real coach about the new FCB coach Fabio Celestini (48).

Zidane and Celestini. The two have known and liked each other for years. When Zidane plays for Real Madrid and Celestini plays for suburban club Getafe, they live in the same neighborhood and their children go to school together. A close friendship developed.

Zidane praises Celestini highly

In the autumn of 2016, while Celestini was training at Lausanne Sport, Zidane himself stopped by the Pontaise. And says the sentence about the miracle. Background: Celestini is sensationally in second place with the newly promoted team Zidane, whose son Enzo moved to Lausanne-Sport in 2018 thanks to Celestini, enthuses: “Fabio is a passionate guy, someone who was a leader even as a player. No effort is too big for him. He does excellent work and knows exactly how to lead a team.”

Praise from the highest places. A former teammate also sounds positive. Stéphane Henchoz (49) fondly remembers the days he spent with Celestini in the Swiss national team: “I would love to meet him for a cup of coffee at any time. Fabio is a very pleasant person who is also fun to be around. As a player he was above all one thing: professional. A model professional!”

He was surprised that Celestini became the new FCB coach. “Because I didn’t think it was possible that Basel would get a Romand,” said Henchoz. At second glance, however, the relationship between Celestini and FCB makes sense: “Basel is still a big club. And Fabio is a coach for big clubs. Because he has character. You need that for calibers like FCB.”

But one thing is clear: “Fabio must put aside his idea of ​​beautiful football. In the first few weeks he just has to score points. For this, he must sharpen his awareness that the situation in the competition is very critical and serious. The biggest mistake in Basel would be the opinion: we are FCB, we cannot be relegated! Such thinking has been the downfall of other clubs in the past.”

Henchoz sees no quality problem at FC Basel

Henchoz does not see a quality problem, as FCB veteran Ruedi Zbinden suggests. But: “I miss the willingness to do the basics: work hard, win duels, make runs – that’s what Fabio has to teach the players. When the situation is a bit more stable, he can take over the game.”

Looking at the tenures of the former FCB coaches, the question arises whether Celestini gets enough time. Henchoz continues: “People in Basel are understandably nervous. It’s a lot of money for the club owners. If they want their talents to develop and become interesting for foreign clubs, Fabio is the right person. Other coaches just want the players to run and fight. Fabio wants more, the FCB team gives him the potential for that.”