Zinedine Zidane will become the new face on the touchline for the France national team in September, marking the first change in 14 years.
By the time his appointment was announced on Tuesday morning, it had long been an open secret that Zidane would succeed Didier Deschamps this summer. Zidane was keen to highlight the time he had spent waiting on the sidelines and preparing for the job, stating, "The national team is the only thing I wanted."
Zidane offered few clues to France fans as to how he would approach the role, bypassing a question on Kylian Mbappe's captaincy and opting against going into tactical detail. He confirmed his intention "to do things differently" but avoided specifics, saying, "I have to arrive, meet with the players, and explain my plans to them."
Zidane and Deschamps, two 1998 World Cup winners, share similar traits in their management, including pragmatism and a laissez-faire approach to attacking phases. Given the attacking talent at his disposal, it stands to reason that Zidane would carry on in that vein, hinting he would retain the role Michael Olise thrived in for much of the summer.
The appointment does come with a degree of uncertainty, as Zidane has spent five years out of management and the Real Madrid job is the only other senior coaching role of his career. However, the reaction among players and fans to Zidane's arrival has been almost unanimously positive, with Mbappe writing on Instagram, "Welcome home," and his former France and Bordeaux team-mate Bixente Lizarazu saying, "He is more than fit to manage Les Bleus."
The respect that the former Ballon d'Or winner commands in a dressing room is one of his key strengths. Zidane's four-year deal begins next month, and his full coaching team will be announced a few weeks later. The next international break, lasting four Nations League fixtures over three weeks, will offer the France players a crash-course to the new management style.
Zidane will enjoy an unprecedented degree of goodwill regardless of his initial results, given his iconic status within French football and on the wider national stage. Whether he uses that leeway to experiment tactically and bring in new faces remains to be seen.
Source: BBC Sports
