Zinedine Zidane yesterday unveiled his second list since he took on the role of coach of the France team. In the absence of the injured (Saliba, Lacroix, Koundé, Koné, Dembélé, Akliouche), he called up certain elements for the first time such as Malo Gusto, Marcus Thuram and Pablo Pagis. Aurélien Tchouameni was also summoned. It was a bit tight for the September gathering. Lucas Hernandez, despite his very good form with PSG, was left out. The Parisian, capable of playing on the left and in the axis of defense, will have to persevere.
There is also the return of Kylian Mbappé. Called up during the first 4 matches, the captain had to leave after 59 minutes of play during the first meeting in Turkey, hit in the knee on the goal he had just scored. His role will change, said the coach. Aligned on the left to leave the axis to Dembélé, he will find the point this time. “You retained that in September, but Kylian will also be able to play in his preferential position at this gathering, at the forefront, and there will be no problem», assured Zidane.
Mbappé in new
“When I select a player, I want to see him in his position. But Kylian started his career on the left, played on the right, and up front…», continued the boss of the Blues yesterday at a press conference. The 4-3-3 should not change, but the return of Mbappé at the forefront changes things. He arrives in sparkling form with 8 goals scored in the last 7 matches played with Real Madrid. The controversy surrounding Mao Zedong and China is undoubtedly behind him. He has already played again with his club since this famous affair.
Image generation in progress
In the absence of the 2025 Ballon d’Or, the debate on the association with Mbappé closes for the time of a gathering, and until the next one at least. Their relationship on the pitch was not obvious in Türkiye in the short time they spent together. He will have to be associated with others, like Rayan Cherki and Michael Olise. There will also be the new kid Pablo Pagis, even if this call-up is mainly due to the absence of Akliouche. “Pablo was on the expanded roster and he’s a player I want to see. It’s interesting, different and it’s good to be able to discover it. I want to see him with us, we’ll see what his playing time will be.»
The return of Thuram, close to Mbappé
Other good news for Mbappé is the return of Marcus Thuram, to whom he is very close. At 29 years old, the striker does not really represent the future of the France team but he has the advantage of experience (35 caps, 3 goals), versatility and the ability to transmit his good humor on a daily basis. And then he will face Italy, the country where he has been playing for more than three years now. So many reasons which pushed Zinedine Zidane to call him even though his adventure with the Blues was not guaranteed after the first meeting.
