It always felt like Zinedine Zidane would take charge of France at some point in his career, especially given his history with Les Bleus.
With Didier Deschamps announcing that he was stepping down after the World Cup this summer, the only real candidate was Zidane. Now he has the job, how will the former Real Madrid boss handle the pressure?
It might take time to move on from Didier Deschamps
Managerial reigns that last 14 years are ridiculously rare now, but Deschamps managed to cram a lot into his spell in charge of the nation.
Across his seven major tournaments in charge, France won the 2018 World Cup, reached a further two finals – 2022 World Cup and 2016 European Championships – while reaching at least the quarter-finals in all but one of those tournaments.
Deschamps didn’t have the farewell he wanted, as France finished fourth at the 2026 World Cup. Things looked promising across the opening few matches, but a 6-4 defeat to England in the bronze medal match brought down the curtain after an incredible 187 matches in charge.
As such, it might take time to move on from him, but in Zidane, France has someone who has achieved plenty at club level with Real Madrid.
A new era for France
Zidane brings a wealth of trophy-winning experience from his team managing Real Madrid. Indeed, he led Los Blancos to three Champions League titles in succession (2016 – 2018) and also claimed La Liga glory in 2016/17 and 2019/20 across two spells at the Bernabeu.
“I’ve often said it: there’s nothing greater than the French national team. So it’s a joy and obviously a great source of pride to become the manager of this French national team,” Zidane said upon being unveiled as the new manager of France in July.
“It’s also a responsibility. I want to thank [French Football Federation] president Philippe Diallo, the executive committee, and the French Football Federation for their confidence and acknowledge the 14 years of service from Didier and his staff. I also have a special thought today for all my coaches. Needless to say, I have high ambitions for the French national team.”
There are some that believe France underachieved throughout Deschamps’ 14-year spell given the quality at his disposal.
That much might be true, but Zidane will have some work to do if he wishes to match the achievements of his predecessor, that much is certain.
Changes Zidane will make
His first squad features 15 players which featured at the recent World Cup, including Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise.
Alongside the experienced members of the squad, Zidane has also given debut call ups to Jeremy Jacquet, Guillaume Restes, Andy Diouf, Lucas Da Cunha and Esteban Lepaul for the four Nations League matches.
Bringing in some freshness indicates that Zidane is looking ahead to the future, giving everyone a clean slate in the process.
It remains to be seen what system he will use across these opening few games. During his time with Real Madrid, Zidane used several tactical systems, including 4-3-3, 4-3-1-2 and 4-2-3-1.
Deschamps prioritized a 4-2-3-1 at the World Cup, using Mbappé in a more advanced role, with Bradley Barcola, Olise and Dembélé operating behind him. Given the proficiency of this quartet, Zidane might not change much, especially in this area.
A strong start will prove to many that there is life after Deschamps. With the European Championships less than two years away, Zidane has time to mould a new French side.
Will they emerge as one of the favourites for the continental crown? That depends on how well the next few weeks go.
France’s Nations League schedule
- Türkiye vs France
- Friday, September 25th
- 2:45pm ET / 11:45am PT
- Yildiz Entegre Kocaeli Stadyumu, Kocaeli, Türkiye
- Belgium vs France
- Monday, September 28th
- 2:45pm ET / 11:45am PT
- King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium
- France vs Italy
- Friday, October 2nd
- 2:45pm ET / 11:45am PT
- Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France
- France vs Belgium
- Monday, October 5th
- 2:45pm ET / 11:45am PT
- Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France
