Daniel Riolo calls France's performance chaos under Zidane

In the context of the Nations League, Daniel Riolo, editorialist of After Foot, described the French team's collective performance as a “mess” after the 1‑3 defeat in Italy last Thursday. He described the evening as a genuine tactical chaos.

The Blues lost the thread that was hard to hold. Riolo got dizzy in front of the French team's defeat in Italy, Thursday in the Nations League.

Critique of Zidane's tactical choices

He believes he witnessed a “mess” due to the numerous position changes of Zinédine Zidane's players, who eventually lost the thread of a match they had started strongly by scoring the first goal thanks to Michael Olise in the tenth minute. “There are things I didn’t understand,” he admitted. He highlighted that the Blues delivered “25 superb first minutes” before the pressing and counter‑pressing faded, leaving them losing control. Overwhelmed by the permutations, he no longer knew who was who on the pitch.

Riolo urged Zinédine Zidane not to replicate Luis Enrique's style at PSG, reminding that such an approach requires players who are present daily, which is not the case at international level. He added that the “mess” of a system where players change positions at PSG relies on a timed script, difficult to transpose to the internationals. According to him, even when he follows the permutations at PSG, he got lost that Thursday evening, his eyes “crossed” at one point.