Zinedine Zidane made his debut on the pitch with the French team this Monday after numerous press conferences. By taking over from Didier Deschamps, the 1998 world champion inherits a group with immense status and the colossal expectations that go with it. All this with the pressure to do, at a minimum, as well as a predecessor who had 14 years at a very high level with the Blues. After their traditional flow parade at the entrance to the castle this Monday, the 12 available French players met on the Clairefontaine pitches to carry out their very first training under the leadership of the French legend.
This first contact immediately won over the group, totally under the spell of the methods of Zidane and his staff. While certain doubts accompanied his appointment as goalkeeper coach, Fabien Barthez wasted no time in finding his feet on the Michel Platini pitch. For his part, Zinedine Zidane was particularly involved, surveying the field to observe each workshop reserved for outfield players as reported by the numerous journalists present on site. During a five-on-five game on a small pitch, the new coach stayed as close as possible to his men and gave simple instructions. During an offensive game exercise, ZZ transformed into a passer and showed that his quality as a passer has remained intact over the years, like what he already put in place when he was coach of Real Madrid.
Successful start for Fabien Barthez
An attractive introduction that has more on every level. After this training session, many players came to the microphones to share their first feelings with the new coach. The opportunity in particular for Guillaume Restes, who is having his first meeting with the A, to praise the merits of Fabien Barthez: “I had the chance to meet him a little in Toulouse. It’s nice to be here, to have been able to do this first session. We’re having a lot of fun, it’s great. We talked a lot about his experience and his journey. He has won everything as a goalkeeper, so we have to take advantage of everything he tells us. The first shot he sent was straight into the top corner, so we had to adapt. Lots of discussion today. We took everything we could take and it was good lessons.»
Also called in to reinforce the goalkeepers following Robin Risser’s injury, Jean Butez also savored this special moment: “I watched them on TV, like many. It’s true that being here with Fabien Barthez was a good first session. Being with such a staff for a first selection is pretty cool. It’s a first session, it was about technique, playing each ball thoroughly, being very direct between us, being yourself. Fabien Barthez that we know.» But now, the magic of Zinédine Zidane’s staff was not only felt among the goalkeepers: the entire France group was contaminated by the exciting beginnings of this new era.
The Blues are having fun with Zidane
For good reason, the effect of the 1998 duo was felt throughout the group, where fascination gave way to a real desire to learn, like defender Maxence Lacroix, who experienced the end of Didier Deschamps’ mandate: “It’s a pleasure, it’s a lot of pride. We followed them when we were young, now we can train with them. It’s magnificent. No, no pressure, but a lot of pride. You have to be sure of your qualities (smile). In any case, he hasn’t lost anything… He insisted on the fact that we’re going to spend two weeks together, getting to know each other with the new staff, and that it’s going to be important for bonding… It’s a new era. We have to see what the coach wants from us.»
Even among the more experienced executives, the pleasure of stepping onto the pitch under the direction of their youth idol remained intact. In any case, this is the meaning of Dayot Upamecano’s speech to journalists after the session: “Above all, we had fun. Today it was more about adaptation, also to welcome the new ones. We had a very good training session. I am very happy. We were all fans of him when we were little. From Barthez too and it’s nice to learn from him. It’s hard to reproduce Zidane’s controls (laughs). His first words? It was about putting effort into the field and that’s what we tried to do.» This is what one could call an idyllic beginning. It remains to make a successful match debut with the trip to Türkiye this Friday as part of the Nations League (8:45 p.m.).
