The Zinedine Zidane era got off to a victorious start on Friday night, with Les Bleus defeating Türkiye 1–0 to begin their UEFA Nations League journey.
After 14 successful years, which included the nation’s second World Cup title (2018), the Didier Deschamps era came to an end following the 2026 World Cup. Zidane had been linked as Deschamps’ successor ever since he left Real Madrid’s dugout in 2021 and his tenure with France is now officially underway.
It was far from a dominant showing from Les Bleus away against an industrious Türkiye side that, despite being devoid of some of its best players, still found a way to make the visitors uncomfortable.
There’s still plenty to do for Zidane and Co. to truly squeeze out the full potential of this French juggernaut. Still, a debut win in his first game on the touchline since May 2021 is a positive start to his tenure, and although it’s still early, some interesting conclusions can be drawn from Zidane’s first game in charge.
Kylian Mbappé Back to Favorite Position
Zidane teased his decision to play Kylian Mbappé on the left wing ahead of Friday’s clash, and he fulfilled his promise. Not since Karim Benzema led the line for Les Bleus in the 2021 Euros had Mbappé operated on the left wing, with the bulk of his appearances coming at center forward.
Mbappé started wide left with fellow Ballon d’Or contender Ousmane Dembélé leading the line against Türkiye. Dembélé is not unfamiliar with the position, spearheading Paris Saint-Germain’s fluid forward line over the past two seasons to the tune of consecutive Champions League titles—and his characteristic pressing of the opponent’s goalkeeper was on full display Friday.
Dembélé operated on the right wing during the World Cup, with Michael Olise deployed centrally as the No. 10.
In only one game, Zidane reshuffled France’s attack to allow Mbappé to operate in an area he constantly gravitates toward regardless of his initial position. Still, the Real Madrid man was routinely denied the ability to cut inside, with markers forcing him to reach the goal line and turning him into a crosser rather than a finisher.
However, Dembélé leading France’s press resulted in an eventual turnover that allowed Olise to scan the field and find a wide open Mbappé on the left to bag the match-winner and the first goal of the Zidane era.
Unfortunately, France’s captain suffered an injury in the same action and had to be withdrawn soon after. How Zidane adjusts to Mbappé’s potential unavailability in the comming games will be telling.
It’s Rayan Cherki’s Time To Shine
One of the most notable decisions Zidane made in his France debut was including Manchester City star playmaker Rayan Cherki in the starting XI after he was exclusively used as a substitute during the 2026 World Cup—barring the glorified exhibition match that was the third-place final vs. England.
Cherki was France’s attacking midfielder on the night with Olise to his right. Although Olise has been sensational on the right for Bayern Munich, it was a bold gamble given he’s coming off leading the World Cup with seven assists operating centrally as an attacking midfielder.
Still, Cherki’s incredibly-reduced role this summer raised plenty of eyebrows, and Zidane appears keen on having his most creative and technically gifted players on the pitch together. With six goal contributions in City’s opening seven games of the term, Cherki, 23, continues his ascent as one of the world’s prominent playmakers.
It’s no surprise that Les Bleus looked at their most dangerous whenever Cherki and Olise combined, with the pair of creators looking like the only two players capable of producing a moment of magic to unlock Türkiye’s compact defensive block.
Désiré Doué and Bradley Barcola alternated a starting spot during the World Cup, but Zidane’s decision to include Cherki relegated the wing duo to the bench. As the 2030 cycle starts, fully integrating a player of Cherki’s potential to the dynamic of France’s mighty attack seems like a wise strategy for the new manager.
Zinedine Zidane Won’t Try to Reinvent the Wheel
From the moment the starting XI was announced, it became abundantly clear that Zidane won’t try to make any drastic changes but rather continue what France built under Deschamps.
Despite winning a record three-straight Champions League titles during his first three seasons as Real Madrid manager, Zidane has never been considered an obsessive tactician. Rather, his greatest virtue was always maximizing the potential of the talented players at his disposal and creating an environment where his stars can shine.
It’s been only one game, but it seems like Zidane will try to emulate that strategy with Les Bleus. Aside from a few tweaks such as Mbappé playing on the left and the introduction of Cherki as the No. 10, Zidane’s France was almost a carbon-copy of Deschamps’s most commonly-utilized side during the 2026 World Cup.
Adrien Rabiot and Manu Koné continue to feature as the starting midfield pivot, and the right side of defense continues to be patrolled by Jules Koundé and Dayot Upamecano. Maxence Lacroix started in place of the injured William Saliba, and Adrien Truffert got the nod at left back with Lucas Digne not included in the roster.
To be fair, it’s hard to blame Zidane for sticking with a similar core given this was close to France’s best lineup on paper. It would’ve been much more surprising if he made wholesale changes.
Now, though, there’s a clear pending task, which is the same one Deschamps struggled with for a long time: find a way to unlock the full potential of the most talented attack in all of international soccer. Les Bleus never truly pinned Türkiye deep with wave after wave of attacks. To the contrary, France’s attack looked sluggish for the vast majority of Friday’s contest.
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