Zidane shakes up the Blues with seven neologisms and six debuts
In the stadium locker room, the atmosphere was electric when Zinedine Zidane presented his first squad of Les Bleus, already showing three wins and a draw. The new manager, a former midfielder, announced a radical tactical change and a philosophy different from his predecessor's.
New faces and first steps
No fewer than seven new players were called up; six made their big debuts in the blue: Guillaume Restes between the posts, Lenny Yoro, Jérémy Jacquet and Andy Diouf in defence, Lucas Da Cunha in midfield and Esteban Lepaul up front. Observers generally praised these debuts, especially highlighting the performances of Jérémy Jacquet and Lucas Da Cunha.
However, the Rennes striker Esteban Lepaul was judged less convincing in his two starts against Belgium, some feeling that the international kit is too big for the Breton player. “He deserves it,” a commentator said on the matter.
Julien Lachuer urges the coach to call up Ludo Ajorque
Further west, the new wind at Les Bleus inspires Julien Lachuer, who is campaigning for the inclusion of Ludovic Ajorque. The Breton opened the scoring in the ninth minute against Angers, delivering an “XXL” performance and dominating the opposing defence.
“I heard the manager wanted a boy with presence in the box. If he were in front of his TV… I’ll campaign to get Ludo Ajorque into the France team. In any case, he deserves it,” said the former Auxerre player on the Ligue 1+ microphone.