On Friday evening, Zinedine Zidane unveiled his first France squad in his role as the new national team manager – and it certainly came as a surprise.
It is not only Germany that is embarking on a fresh start with Jürgen Klopp. In France, too, Zinedine Zidane wants to usher in a new era – whilst, above all, continuing the successful run under his predecessor, Didier Deschamps. Early on Friday evening, the former Real Madrid manager unveiled his 23-man squad – and caused a particular stir by including five new faces.
The 21-year-old Guillaume Restes of FC Toulouse was named as one of three goalkeepers. In defence, Andy Diouf (23, Inter Milan) and Jeremy Jacquet (21, Liverpool) will have the chance to prove themselves. In midfield, Zidane has surprisingly placed his trust in 25-year-old Lucas da Cunha of Champions League participants Como, whilst up front he has selected the 26-year-old Esteban Lepaul (Stade Rennes).
A surprisingly large contingent of six players comes from Serie A – including da Cunha, who has yet to make a significant mark in France. “Lucas is an interesting player and has a lot of character; I’m looking forward to seeing him play for us,” explained Zidane, who also selected Lepaul for specific reasons: “He’s a slightly different type of player – I like players like that who can hold their own in tight spaces and can be a threat against more defensively minded teams. We’ve taken a close look at him; he scores goals, and I’d like to see him in action up close.” Lepaul scored three goals in the first four Ligue 1 matchdays.
Upamecano and Olise are in the squad
By contrast, former Gladbach striker Marcus Thuram (now at Inter Milan), for example, was not called up and will have to wait his turn up front for the time being. Zidane deliberately left out Karim Benzema (38) and N’Golo Kanté (35): “I admire what they’ve achieved, but I need to focus primarily on younger players.”
At the same time, Zidane announced his intention to retain certain elements of the approach that has been successful so far “whilst also instilling new ideas in the players”. There is no new captain for the time being: Kylian Mbappé has been confirmed in the role. Of the 23 players, only two from the Bundesliga – Munich’s Dayot Upamecano and Michael Olise – are included.
The new national team manager will make his debut on 25 September in Turkey, followed by an away match in Belgium, before the first two home matches on 2 and 5 October – first against Italy and then against Belgium again.
The France squad at a glance:
Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Robin Risser (RC Lens), Guillaume Restes (Toulouse)
Defenders: Andy Diouf (Inter Milan), Jeremy Jacquet (Liverpool), Ibrahima Konaté (Real Madrid), Pierre Kalulu (Juventus Turin), Jules Koundé (FC Barcelona), Maxence Lacroix (Chelsea FC), Adrien Truffert (Bournemouth AFC), Dayot Upamecano (FC Bayern)
Midfield: Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), Rayan Cherki (Manchester City), Lucas da Cunha (Como 1907), Manu Koné (AS Roma), Adrien Rabiot (AC Milan), Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain)
Forwards: Bradley Barcola (Liverpool), Ousmane Dembelé (Paris Saint-Germain), Desiré Doué (Paris Saint-Germain), Esteban Lepaul (Stade Rennes), Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich)
