Zinedine Zidane, head coach of the French national team, held a press conference to announce his first squad since taking the role and answered media questions on the spot. This is the first part of that press conference.

Hello Zinedine. I wanted to ask about this first squad—it's a concrete realization of the role of France's new national team head coach that you envisioned. Now that the squad has been announced, how are you feeling mentally and emotionally? Did the selection process take longer than expected, about as long as you thought, or less?

Yes, it definitely required careful consideration. There are players just returning to training after the World Cup, plus factors like injuries and playing time, which all need to be taken into account. But honestly, this is my first time selecting players and holding an inaugural training camp, and my approach was very clear. Of course, there may be one or two players I deliberately left out, and we can discuss that later. That's mainly due to lack of playing time or minor injuries. But since I was appointed on July 28th, it has indeed been a process involving a period of reflection and extensive preparation.

Hello, We thought we might see an "extended squad," but it doesn't appear that way. There are many new faces in the squad. Is it also very important for you to break away from past logic and inject a completely fresh atmosphere that's different from before?

Regarding what's called an "extended squad," the coaching staff and support team have indeed been expanded, that's certain. As for the players, the squad hasn't been expanded. No, I wanted to select exactly 20 outfield players and 3 goalkeepers. We have four matches to play. I thought it could be 22 or 23 outfield players, but I chose to select only 20 outfield players, and I think it works well.

Hello Zinedine, we assume you already have a clear and definite idea about your overall tactical system and the specific game plan you'll build and implement with the team. Can you discuss that in detail with us? Also, will you have in-depth discussions specifically with the attacking players, particularly focusing on tactical organization and front-line coordination details—in other words, to gain a deeper understanding of the players' personal experience and most sincere thoughts?

Actually, I will communicate with every player under my supervision. What's great about this training camp is that we have almost 15 full days together to stay and train, and we have four official matches to play during this period. We essentially have a match every three days, which means every player in the squad will be involved and take on their respective responsibilities. In my view, this is the most crucial and central point.

As for my specific understanding, insights, and philosophy about football, everyone will be able to see it in the upcoming matches. Overall, one thing is 100% certain, as I stated at my introductory press conference: I am always very driven and inspired by "the game and the act of playing itself"—by the genuine passion, joy, and competitive nature of playing football.

Of course, always and at all times, we must maintain tactical balance across the entire team. Because everyone knows that the concept of "balancing attack and defense" is quite popular these days and often mentioned, but regardless, as a team, you do need to have and maintain overall team balance.

However, on the other hand, I have a strong desire in my heart. I very much want to see these great players—or rather, I very much want to see this team play attractive, smooth, and fluid football. For me, the game of football itself is what truly motivates and touches me, and I'm very confident that with our current squad, we have exactly the right players who can make this happen.

Hello, In my view, one of the core tasks and key priorities in building your main team for the national team right now is the full-back position configuration. In the squad you announced tonight, you made a very clear and strong selection decision for these positions, particularly by calling up Andy Diouf and Adrien Truffert together. First, I'd like to ask what drove your decision to call up both of them? Second, given that there seems to be a persistent shortage of sufficient depth and top technical quality in this specific position, is this an aspect that concerns you in terms of team building?

If we're talking about "concerns" or the current positional situation, I think this has indeed been an issue for quite a while. There's a relative shortage of a certain type of player in this area. This situation has existed for some time now, even though we've had some outstanding players in this position in the past.

But what I want to say is that selecting Andy and Truffert is clearly a very clear, strong, and important selection decision. They are fully capable of playing this position at the highest competitive level on the international stage with the French national team right now. So yes, this is undoubtedly a very sound and excellent choice for the moment. Regarding the situation on the other flank, the same logic applies. I mean, Jules Koundé has been a very important member of this team for a long time, but at the same time, new players are joining, so we'll handle it, adjust, and integrate in the same way.

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