France head coach Zinedine Zidane held a press conference to announce his first squad list since taking office and answered questions from media present. This article is part four of the press conference.

Hello, you've previously mentioned that you want to bring entertaining, attacking-oriented football to the French national team. How do you plan to shape a specific tactical framework for the attack? Will it be an extremely aggressive formation with two, three, or four strikers? Additionally, how do you plan to distribute positions for key players like Mbappé, Dembélé, and Olise?

Where should they play? Simply put, let them play in the positions where they feel most comfortable and effective. When we take the field, people will naturally see the concrete results. The truth is, everyone knows that tactics are fluid, and modern elite forwards typically have the ability to play multiple positions. Take Kylian as an example—he's performed at the highest level across all three attacking positions, so positioning has never been an issue for us.

The core element lies in "tactical flexibility and organization"—that is, how we design our attacking plays and implement this system. This is the concept I always emphasize and work to build. As for the "four-striker formation" you mentioned, clearly we can't blindly pursue an extreme attack disconnected from reality. The primary priority in tactical design is always maintaining balance between attacking and defensive play across the entire team. We have many talented and extraordinary players, and my responsibility is to place them in positions where they can maximize their individual abilities and guide them to play with collective coordination.

Hello Zinedine, regarding squad planning at the management level, I'd like to ask you a potentially sensitive question: is Karim Benzema's return to the French national team a realistic possibility at this time?

Why would that be an uncomfortable question? No, you can ask any question you want, and actually, quite the opposite—it gives us an opportunity to talk about Karim. I worked with him at Real Madrid for many years, and his performances were always extraordinary and exceptional. However, the current situation is actually quite similar. In short, I personally have great affection and admiration for Karim. He made enormous contributions to the national team, but he's also at a certain stage of his career, which is somewhat similar to N'Golo Kanté's situation.

I deeply admire the brilliant achievements he's made throughout his career, but at this stage, I need to observe and work with younger players to see what we can build together for the future. Of course, this will never erase or diminish the great achievements he's made for the French national team and the various clubs he's played for. Your question is excellent, but my decision will never affect his rightful and distinguished place in football history.

Hello Zinedine, you've only had a short 15-day preparation period since taking over. Did you contact key players before the training camp began to understand the current atmosphere in the team's dressing room and identify critical issues for quick integration and accelerated tactical implementation?

No, to be honest, we haven't had much private contact beforehand. However, starting from Monday, all the called-up players will gradually arrive at the training center to report, and I'll arrive tomorrow to get started. We have a full 15-day training camp this time—as you mentioned, international match day training camps typically only last 8 to 10 days, so this 15-day period is a very rare and new experience. As everyone knows, we won't be doing high-intensity double sessions, so this extended timeframe gives us a solid window for deep direct communication, building trust, and reaching tactical consensus.

Zinedine, hello. We've just discussed the relative lack of talent at fullback. How do you assess the current backup goalkeeper talent pool for the French national team? In this squad list, why did you particularly call up young goalkeeper Guillaume Restes? Additionally, what tactical considerations led you to invite Fabien Barthez to join the coaching staff as goalkeeper coach?

Why not Guillaume Restes? This isn't a spur-of-the-moment decision, but one made by our coaching staff after careful evaluation, and I take full responsibility for this choice. In my first national team squad, we've called up three goalkeepers: Mike Maignan, Guillaume Restes, and Raphaël Varane. We'll rely on these three goalkeepers for the work ahead.

As for why Fabien Barthez was invited as goalkeeper coach, first, Fabien and I share a very consistent understanding of the tactical role and core qualities of modern elite goalkeepers; second, as a renowned international player, he has unparalleled practical experience in top competitions and has personally experienced all the highlights and challenges of world tournaments. I have complete confidence in his professional expertise and believe he can help our goalkeepers achieve significant improvements. Additionally, the understanding and shared experiences we've built from our time fighting together previously mean we're always in harmony in our football philosophy.

Good evening, Zinedine. I'd like to ask you a relatively lighthearted question: with your coaching, the national team has introduced a new management model. We particularly noticed that the large scenes of photographers and camera crews gathering around the stairs at Clairefontaine castle when players report for camp on Mondays will no longer happen. Everyone knows the "staircase show" when players report has attracted considerable attention in recent years and has even become a "fashion show" where national team players display stylish outfits and create fixed memes on social media. What are your thoughts on this phenomenon? Surely you've seen the relevant content on social media platforms. Do you want to maintain this tradition, or are you using this move to send a signal of stricter discipline, humility, and pragmatism to the entire team?

No, I have no intention of deliberately emphasizing any "humble and simple" disciplinary requirements. Each player is free to dress according to their own aesthetic taste and preferences when reporting. I won't intervene or change anything about this. What we really need to adjust is the environment at Clairefontaine itself—Clairefontaine is the sacred training ground of the national team. Once everyone is inside, we don't need excessive spectacle and outside packaging.

In summary, players are completely free to dress as they wish when reporting, and once they enter the facility, it's our team's internal focus time. Regarding the filming management you mentioned, while we will more standardize the control of on-site video footage, when it comes to personal expression and attire, players are completely 100% free.

At this point, a French Football Federation press officer added: "I'd like to quickly clarify: regarding video and photo materials of players arriving at the castle stairs, these will subsequently be filmed and produced uniformly by the official media of the French Football Federation and publicly released and shared with all media outlets. This operating model is exactly the same as the production of signals and media distribution for today's press conference."

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