Zidane and France face criticism after Kalulu's withdrawal

That was the big surprise of the week concerning the French national team. Only four days after Zinedine Zidane unveiled the second list of his tenure, Pierre Kalulu was forced to withdraw. For the two November matches in the Nations League, the manager chose to replace the Juventus player with Saël Kumbedi, defender of Wolfsburg (Bundesliga 2).

Many first wondered why Zinedine Zidane made such a choice when he had other more experienced players, like Jonathan Clauss. Another option would have been to reclassify Warren Zaïre‑Emery as a defender rather than a midfielder. L’Équipe columnist Karim Bennani raised the issue on Monday.

“Did Zinedine Zidane not trap himself a bit last week in the press conference, where he said: ‘No, no, (Warren) Zaïre‑Emery is a midfielder’?” Bennani said. He also recalled the performances of the French international last season with Paris Saint‑Germain. “Warren Zaïre‑Emery, a midfielder for Zinedine Zidane: When we see what he did with PSG last year in that position… Does Zidane finally say: ‘I don’t want to be like Luis Enrique because I’ve often been compared to Luis Enrique’s precept for a month and a half’?” Bennani added. In principle, the Parisian player will therefore not be positioned in the right corridor of the tricolour defence, a post where the manager has few options and where Warren Zaïre‑Emery has nevertheless shone.