Zinedine Zidane set to reshape France attack for first match as manager

Zinedine Zidane is preparing to begin his tenure as France manager with a tactical shift against Turkiye on Friday, with Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise all expected to occupy different positions from those used by Didier Deschamps in his final period in charge.

France face Turkiye in the opening round of the Nations League, and Zidane is expected to select a 4-3-3 formation. The early indications from the national team’s camp at Clairefontaine suggest the new manager has already begun putting his plans into practice.

According to French newspaper L’Equipe, Zidane made his intentions clear during Tuesday’s session. Wednesday’s training further pointed towards an attacking line featuring Mbappe on the left, Dembele as the central striker and Olise on the right.

The proposed midfield would see Manu Kone operate as the holding player, with Adrien Rabiot and Rayan Cherki used as the two linking midfielders.

That arrangement would represent a clear change from the 4-2-3-1 system employed by Deschamps towards the end of his time as France manager. Under that approach, Olise was used as the playmaker, while the latest plan would place Dembele through the middle and move Mbappe to the left flank.

Mbappe was absent from the first near-complete group training session on Tuesday after suffering from a cold. He did not take part in lunch or training that day, but is expected to recover in time for the match against Turkiye.

Zidane has also made an organisational decision regarding the captaincy. When Mbappe plays, he will retain the armband, while three vice-captains have been selected from the players with the most international appearances in the current squad.

Dembele is first among them with 67 caps, followed by Rabiot on 66 and Jules Kounde on 56.

The structure is similar to the seniority-based system Zidane previously used at Real Madrid. Alongside the changes to the team’s shape and attacking positions, it gives the new manager a defined leadership group for the start of his France reign.