Zinédine Zidane debuts with France, the Mbappé‑Dembélé duo fragile
For the first time at the helm of the French national team, Zinedine Zidane led the Bleus in a match where Kylian Mbappé's work was widely debated. The new boss, pressed for time, relied on the Mbappé‑Dembélé duo, but the Real Madrid striker was injured on Friday evening and will miss the next three matches of the gathering.
Zinedine Zidane's start at the helm of the Bleus
Zidane's first training session resulted in a mixed performance, with both good and less good aspects according to observers. Despite the limited time he had to set up his initial pieces, he logically counted on the combination of Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé to energise the attack.
The role of the tricolour captain quickly became the focus of post‑match debate, with analysts questioning his influence on the collective play. Some pointed out that Mbappé's presence has not always been decisive, while others saw signs of improvement.
Giovanni Castaldi's analysis of the duo
Giovanni Castaldi, appearing on the Téléfoot L’After set, adopted a more conciliatory tone than usual. He noted that « if we talk about a duo, an association, sometimes there have been three‑player sequences with Rayan Cherki, Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé where there were extremely interesting movements », adding that he did not consider it a problem that Mbappé is « disconnected from the others ».
Zidane hands the armband to Ousmane Dembélé during Mbappé's absence
Castaldi also referred to Luis Enrique's work at Paris Saint‑Germain, explaining that the press and the right‑side movements create turnovers favourable to Mbappé, who gains speed and benefits from one‑on‑one situations. He described this pattern as « interesting ».
The journalist expressed his preferences: he does not like when Mbappé drops too deep or receives too many balls, preferring that he makes runs in behind and remains lethal. He concluded by saying that he prefers to leave the play to Dembélé, Cherki and Olise, and that Zidane must find an organisational balance, without expecting an exceptional connection between the two.
Zidane puts Dembélé in charge of the Bleus after Mbappé's injury
Ultimately, Mbappé's injury, announced on Friday evening, deprives the Bleus of his talent for three matches, leaving Zidane facing the challenge of reorganising his attack and making the most of Dembélé's and the young attackers' potential.