New ones (Da Cunha, Jacquet, Diouf, Restes, Lepaul), assumed choices (Mbappé on the left, Cherki in the middle) and freshness: Zinédine Zidane’s first international break at the head of the France team had brought its share of lessons. We now know the style that the coach wants to instill in his team. It now remains to be discovered how he intends to hammer it home with his men. Because that is the whole point of this second list, to discover if Zizou will be conservative by remaining in the logic of his first gathering or if he will continue to open the doors of the French team to promising newcomers.
Especially since there will be some notable absentees compared to the first list, starting with Ousmane Dembélé, or even Manu Koné and probably Jules Koundé, still not recovered from his sprained left ankle. Zidane will inevitably call on elements who were not there during the first meeting, probably starting with Aurélien Tchouameni, who returned to the field. But the list seems open to some possibilities for innovation.
Two Hopes ready to pounce
And as is often the case, we look at the long list of pre-selected candidates to find potential surprises. We think, for example, of Mathys Tel or Eli Junior Kroupi. The first came out of the doldrums with Tottenham, the second returned from injury with Bournemouth. According to our information, two other players could join the Blues since they also received a pre-call-up. They are Valentin Atangana and Dayann Methalie.
The first amazed Zinédine Zidane’s staff during the France Espoirs team gathering at the end of September-beginning of October, particularly during the supervised match, which he completed with three assists. In the event of his absence in midfield, the Al Ahli player could have a nice surprise, he who dreams of playing for the French team. Likewise, Dayann Méthalie had also evolved with the Espoirs and has been followed for a long time by Zidane and his deputies. The former Toulouse player joined Sunderland last summer, and could well benefit from the vagueness that reigns over the left-back position.
