Zidane impressed by revived Marseille under Bielsa’s reign

Paris, Dec 19  French football legend Zinedine Zidane has said he's overjoyed to see Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa has revived the fortunes of his hometown club Marseille.

Zidane, who has never played for the city-based club, paid a visit to the Ligue 1 leaders' training ground Thursday while continuing his study for a coaching license, reports Xinhua.

He's warmly received by the Argentine coach and impressed by the work that Bielsa has done to the French football giants.

Marseille had experienced ups and downs recently since being crowned in 2010, but came back to the summit of the top flight this season under Bielsa's reign.

"The arrival of Marcelo Bielsa has changed the structure of the club. He has arrived with his own methods of working," said Zidane.

"This has been a revival and it's been great for the club. He's brought results and it is on these that I will judge him overall. As a fan of Marseille, I'm delighted to see this," added the Real Madrid Castilla coach.

With just one game to be played before the winter break, Marseille are one point ahead of defending champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) before hosting Lille Sunday, while PSG play Montpellier at home Saturday.