Four matches, three wins, one draw, 2 goals conceded for 7 registered. From an accounting point of view, Zinedine Zidane had an almost perfect first meeting, where his greatest success was perhaps to align all of his players (with the exception of Jean Butez, 3rd goalkeeper). And thus gauge the quality of the material available. So, who scored points during this international break?
Players who shine
Nobody doubted the talent of Michael Olise, but by scoring 4 goals in the last 3 games, he established himself as the most decisive player of the Zidane era. And his coach will be comforted in the idea of ​​positioning him on the right side of the attack, in his 4-3-3. And it was his understudy on this same side, Désiré Doué, who also hit hard during this rally. Sparkling during the first match against Belgium on the right side, he was less visible on the left against Italy, but made a resounding entrance against the Red Devils on the same side, with a goal and two assists to boot. And the echoes suggested that he had impressed Zidane and his staff in training. Rayan Cherki, who discovered a new role as a relay player, delivered two frustrating starts, before helping to wake up the France team against Belgium on Monday evening at the Stade de France. There is no doubt that ZZ will try the experience again.
In midfield, Eduardo Camavinga made a remarkable return to Blue, after missing the 2026 World Cup. Rather sharp during his two starts against Belgium, he proved that he still had things to contribute to the France team. Despite his blunder against Italy, Lucas Da Cunha has established himself as Zidane’s main find, and should logically be recalled for the next gathering, scheduled for November. In defense, the biggest winner is JĂ©rĂ©my Jacquet, whose talent was obvious. Bleeding physically, daring in the restarts, he seems set for a long stint in Blue. Leny Yoro, a last-minute guest to replace KonatĂ©, also stood out with a good performance during the last match.
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Dembélé the big loser?
One of the challenges of Zizou’s first list was the renewal of the full-backs. In the category of winners, we will rather favor Adrien Truffert, perhaps the most reliable and the most consistent, and Pierre Kalulu, who scored points internally according to our information. His dynamism, his running volume and his tactical rigor were appreciated by the staff. For his part, Andy Diouf was not unworthy, but this still requires confirmation. Enough to still leave the debate on the full-backs open. But let’s move on to the losers of this rally. And unfortunately for him, despite Zidane’s clear choice to put him in the same position as at club, Ousmane DembĂ©lĂ© will have disappointed in number 9, whether during his two starts against Turkey and Italy, or when he came into play against Belgium. Repositioned on the right during the 4th match, against Belgium again, he did not do better, struggling to create gaps and displaying terrible waste in his attempts.
He is not the only offensive player to fall into this category. Esteban Lepaul has clearly shown his technical limits for the very high level. Slightly long checks, lack of connection with partners, despite frequent calls, too little service. The step is still a little too high for the Stade Rennais scorer. It should not have been for Bradley Barcola, but the latter lost his long-distance battle with DouĂ© and MbappĂ© for a starting place on the left. The Liverpool player lacked personality during his tenure to really convince. Same observation for Maghnes Akliouche, with undeniable activity, but desperately too nice as the opponent’s goals approach.
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Mbappé, in turn…
And finally, one of the winners of this gathering will perhaps be, in turn, Kylian MbappĂ©. For what ? Because we didn’t feel happy about occupying the left flank, Zidane’s idea, during his only match played against Turkey, with a goal to come. Coming out with an injury an hour into the game, he noticed that neither DembĂ©lĂ© nor Lepaul found the net in his favorite position. He also saw that DĂ©sirĂ© DouĂ© could be attractive on the side, with a good technical relationship with Olise and Cherki. From then on, he can hope to find the axis of attack again during the next rally scheduled for November.
