Zinedine Zidane launches his reign as France head coach on Friday, leading Les Bleus into a Nations League clash away to Turkey in Kocaeli. It’s a fixture he says carries weight rivaling his own playing debut for France 32 years ago.
Zidane takes over from Didier Deschamps, who steps down after a 14-year spell in charge, and opens his tenure on the road before hosting Italy at home next Friday. Speaking at his pre-match press conference, the 54-year-old admitted the occasion stirs deep emotion.
“Maybe even more, actually,” Zidane said, reflecting on his feelings compared to his 1994 France debut. “It was a long time ago, and today I feel an immense emotion at being here in charge of this France team.”
Despite the fanfare surrounding his appointment, which has dominated headlines all week, Zidane insisted he wants attention directed toward his squad rather than himself. “It’s the next step after Didier’s 14 years, it’s something new so it’s completely normal. But the main protagonists are the players,” he said.
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“I’m going to try to do the job with my players, to make sure we can win matches that’s what interests me.”
Midfielder Adrien Rabiot, one of France’s captains alongside Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Jules Kounde, confirmed Zidane has worked to keep the spotlight off himself and let the players express themselves freely. “He is with us the way he is on the outside,” Rabiot said.
“We’re fully aware of how important he’s been for French football. His aura means he takes up a lot of space and people expect a lot from him.”
Rabiot revealed the new coach has already shaken up the squad’s routines. “Some players already [see] different ways of doing things and also different training sessions,” he said.
“What the coach wants is obviously a fairly attacking style of play. We’ll be very closely watched for how we play because the coach is new and a lot is expected from him.”
France will need to wait until their meeting with Italy to christen Zidane’s reign at home. Both opening fixtures, Turkey on Friday and Belgium next Monday, come away from the Stade de France.
History favors France in this fixture, though Turkey has proven a stubborn opponent in recent meetings. The two sides last faced off in October 2019, when Turkey came from behind to hold France to a 1-1 draw in Paris during Euro 2020 qualifying. Olivier Giroud’s second-half header was canceled out by a late Kaan Ayhan equalizer.
That result meant Turkey went unbeaten across both qualifiers that cycle, having also beaten France 2-0 in Konya earlier that year.Zidane will be looking to end that streak and open his reign with a statement result.
