France have won their opening two Nations League matches under T. Zidane, but the bigger story is how unsettled they still look. Against Türkiye and Belgium, Zidane changed 9 starters out of 11. Only Maignan and Lacroix kept their places. The early results are there, but the structure is still being rewritten before France vs Italy in Paris.
Zidane's role changes
Against Belgium, Cherki and Akliouche were used as central midfielders in a 4-3-3, and 4 of the 11 starters were debutants. Sky Sport Italia commentator Gianluigi Bagnulo called it "his France is still a laboratory", which fits what Zidane has done so far. He also told Lucas Da Cunha to "do what you do at Como", a clear sign that club habits are being brought straight into the international set-up.
Da Cunha played 90 minutes and was rated 7.02 in the win over Belgium, so the trust was not cosmetic. Michael Olise was another part of the same rotation, with France using technical players in different zones rather than locking them into fixed roles.
Italy arrive with their own selection questions
Italy are not showing up with a settled plan either. Antonio Vergara is in line for his first cap in Paris, Giovanni Di Lorenzo is set to start on the bench, and Michael Kayode is preferred at right-back, with Giorgio Scalvini expected to get the nod over Gianluca Mancini. Roberto Mancini's side also come in off a 4-1 win in Bursa.
France's two wins give Zidane breathing room, but the team still feels fluid rather than finished. The next real test comes in Paris against Italy, where the switches, the debutants and the new midfield roles will all be under the same spotlight.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
