French national team coach Z. Zidane held a press conference to announce his first squad list since taking charge and answered questions from local media. This article is the fifth part of the press conference.

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Z. Zidane: It's positive to select only 20 outfield players; the fullback issue has existed for a long time.

Z. Zidane: Mbappé remains captain; I won't get caught up in Ballon d'Or considerations.

Z. Zidane: It's better to keep Tchouaméni at Real Madrid; Lacroix can establish himself in the national team.

Z. Zidane: I didn't deliberately restrict players' dress code at the presentation, but let's not overstate it.

Z. Zidane: Jacquet and Lemerre profoundly influenced me; I've selected four captains for the squad.

Recently in Spain, Mbappé and Konaté became involved in public controversy over a politically divisive piece of clothing; meanwhile, French Olympic judo champion Teddy Riner publicly expressed concerns about the current political climate, while Olympic swimming champion Léon Marchand clearly chose to remain neutral on political matters and refused to comment. As French presidential elections approach in 2027, do you feel that, as a sports superstar and national team coach with significant social influence, you should play a certain role and exercise influence on France's political or social landscape in 2027?

No, absolutely not. My sole mission is to dedicate myself completely to my work as head coach of the French national team, and that won't change in the slightest. Of course, as an ordinary French citizen like everyone else, I have my own values and thoughts about society and the country. However, whether to publicly express one's personal political opinions is entirely a matter of personal freedom for each individual, and I have no intention of interfering or judging. As for me, I will focus all my energy solely on my position: leading the French national team well.

Good morning, Zinedine. During your playing career, you were one of the greatest classical number 10s in football. How do you assess the technical characteristics of emerging talent Rayan Cherki? In modern football that emphasizes physicality and speed, traditional playmakers are increasingly rare, yet he still maintains his place with his unique playing style...

Fortunately, this type of player hasn't become extinct! My goodness, that's truly something to be grateful for, yes, it's wonderful. As you said, Cherki is a pure traditional number 10. He has the ability to receive the ball comfortably in tight spaces between the opposition's defense and midfield, and he also possesses excellent turning and escaping skills, with a very agile and creative style of play. All in all, this is exactly the type of player I personally admire and love very much. We can use this valuable 15-day training camp to properly integrate him and guide him on the training pitch.

Good morning, Zinedine. I'd like to ask you about emerging talent Jérémy Frimpong. He's one of the most exciting new additions to your first squad list since taking over the French team. How do you assess his tactical qualities and recent rapid development? It's clear to everyone that since joining Liverpool this season, his performances in the Premier League and various competitions have been extremely impressive, repeatedly dazzling spectators...

Yes, to be honest, I personally appreciate and am optimistic about his technical profile. In fact, I've been following him for a long time, because he was once a youth teammate of my son, so I know his developmental trajectory at every stage intimately. With the solid foundation he built in the past and his currently outstanding performances at his club, calling him up to the French national team now is a natural and logical decision. All things considered, he's an excellent young defender with enormous potential.

A question from a COPE Radio journalist in Spain: Good morning, Zinedine. At Real Madrid, Mbappé has recently faced considerable public criticism. The general consensus is that his defensive contribution is severely lacking. My question is: now that you've taken over the French national team, will you ask him to commit fully to defensive play like other players? Are you confident you can convince him to actively take on defensive responsibilities?

French Football Federation press officer: Please wait a moment. Let me first provide a French translation of this question for our French journalist colleagues who don't understand Spanish. Mr. Z. Zidane, you speak two or even three languages—could you repeat what was just asked?

Ah, actually he was asking... Sorry, I thought we'd have dedicated simultaneous interpreters here earlier (the audience laughed).

French Football Federation press officer: No, no, I can do this translation, but my translation might not be particularly professional...

No problem. The core of his question was: should Kylian Mbappé take on corresponding defensive responsibilities within the team's overall defensive system? Because he's facing public criticism in Spain, where it's generally believed that his defensive involvement at Real Madrid isn't high enough. That's it.

But to be honest, this is a completely false premise. In my view, managing him is fundamentally no different from managing any other player on the squad. A team's functioning involves two phases: with the ball and without the ball. When the team loses possession, everyone must engage in pressing and defending, and fulfill their respective tactical responsibilities. And for Kylian Mbappé, actively participating in defending without the ball like everyone else won't be a problem at all. I've always believed this to be a false premise; our technical staff simply needs to communicate our tactical intentions clearly and precisely to him. That's all there is to it.

Good morning, Zinedine. I'd like to ask you about your philosophy for building the national team squad: is your main objective to forge a highly cohesive and tightly united tactical unit, or do you prefer to bring together players of great talent and then explore and refine them on the pitch?

No, it's absolutely not simply one or the other. I have an excellent team of professional coaches, and over the past two months, my assistants and I have thoroughly prepared and selected this squad. There are similarities and differences between building a national team and building a club team: at a club, you're sometimes limited by existing player contracts and lack room for adjustments; but with a national team, I have complete freedom in player selection.

For this reason, our selection process is not a blind accumulation of stars, but rather a very careful evaluation focused on tactical balance in the formation and rational complementarity of each position. This is an extremely rigorous, meticulous, and refined project, and it's work my technical staff and I are deeply committed to. We have a large number of high-quality and excellent players available, and our primary mission is to integrate them perfectly and have them play with the highest level of synergy on the pitch.

Tradotto dall'IA.

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