Zinedine Zidane's first squad since taking charge of the French national team drew wide attention in France, after the new manager chose to announce from the outset the different features of the post-Didier Deschamps era.
The French press shone a light on Zidane's selections. The newspaper "L'Equipe" ran the headline: "Zidane makes his decisions from the start", while "Le Parisien" pointed out that the new manager had already begun to put his stamp on the national team, as highlighted by the "Foot Mercato" network.
Everything was prepared with care, right down to a video presentation set to music. Zidane revealed his first squad yesterday, Friday, in preparation for the UEFA Nations League, and it left out Aurelien Tchouameni, N'Golo Kante and the Hernandez family duo. A clear signal that the era was over for several members of the previous generation.
On the captain's armband, Zidane appears inclined to hand it to Kylian Mbappe, a move that reflects his vision for the new phase with France.
Zidane injects new blood
Renewal was the most prominent element of Zidane's first squad, according to the French press. He called up five players to the French national team for the first time: Andy Diouf, Guillaume Restes, Lucas Da Cunha and Jeremy Jacquet, alongside forward Esteban Lepaul, who caught the eye with his attacking displays.
The squad also brought Adrien Truffert and Pierre Kalulu back into the national team's plans, while Zidane decided not to call up other names such as Magnes Akliouche and Malo Gusto.
Some of these selections came down to a simple aim, the French manager explained: he wants to begin a new cycle spanning four years, and the coming phase needs a gradual reshaping of the group.
Left-back, Zidane added, was among the positions most in need of reinforcement, which prompted him to look for new solutions to fill the shortage there.
Tchouameni's absence for physical reasons
The absence of some key members drew attention, yet Zidane made clear that a few of these decisions have nothing to do with technical reasons.
On Aurelien Tchouameni, the manager confirmed the absence is down to physical reasons, given his very recent return to the pitch, which led the coaching staff to prefer not to rush his call-up.
Zidane appeared more reserved when answering questions about some of the thornier choices in his squad. He preferred to stress his primary focus on the sporting mission with the national team, at the start of a new era during which he hopes to build a group capable of competing over the next four years.
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