French national team coach Zidane held a press conference to announce his first squad list since taking the position and answered questions from the media on site. This article is the sixth part of the press conference.

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Hello Zinedine, I'd like to ask about Kylian Mbappé's tactical positioning: What are your ideas for using him? Do you think he's currently the best candidate for the number 9 position in the French national team? In your overall tactical attacking organization, is the center-forward position the most effective way to unleash his power?

No, I don't entirely agree. As Mbappé himself has publicly stated before, he's capable of playing freely in three attacking positions. I can't say definitively that center-forward is his best position, but what's certain is that he can perform at a high level in all three attacking positions. Personally, I also appreciate his performance on the left wing very much – for example, attacks he initiates from the left.

Hello Zinedine, following up on my colleague's question about team selection, it's known that your predecessor Didier Deschamps always considered "daily interaction between players" and "collective team environment" as extremely important criteria for national team selection. I'd like to ask you: in the new cycle since you've taken over, how important are these two dimensions when drawing up future national team squad lists?

These two dimensions are, of course, crucial. However, for now, I need to first understand and familiarize myself deeply with this team, as this is my first time meeting with this group of players as head coach. That's precisely why having a complete 15-day training camp is so valuable. As for team-building philosophy, my views are completely consistent with Deschamps'. In any case, one thing is undeniable: the entire team must maintain a high degree of consistency regarding our common tactical objectives and code of conduct. When everyone comes to Clairefontaine to train, this unity of thought and action and team cohesion will be of paramount importance.

Hello Zinedine, last time a colleague asked about managerial succession, but you didn't have time to answer...

No problem, please go ahead.

Regarding your coaching philosophy as national team coach: reflecting on the four national team coaches under whom you played as a key player – such as Jacquet, Lemerre, and others – what essential insights and lessons did you gain from them, whether in specific work methods, ways of fulfilling their roles, or the art of management? What deep inspiration have they provided to your current coaching?

Yes, looking back at my mentors during my playing days with the national team... I believe every coach possesses brilliant qualities worth learning from and developing for future generations. In fact, my tactical development came not only from national team coaches but also from being fortunate enough to work with many world-class coaches at the top clubs where I played. When you yourself become a head coach, you naturally absorb the most appealing and suitable management qualities from each of your mentors, and that is precisely my path of growth as a coach.

Of course, if we focus specifically on the French national team, the two most representative and influential legendary mentors for me are undoubtedly Aimé Jacquet, because he led us to win the World Cup at home in 1998; and then Roger Lemerre, who led the team to win the European Championship in 2000. He's an extremely good coach at building deep emotional bonds with players and is deeply loved by everyone. Whenever I recall those glorious years when we fought side by side, it's not just an extremely precious golden memory for me as a player, but it continues to guide my coaching practice as head coach today.

Good evening Zinedine, among the players not selected this time, there are two young internationals who are regular starters at their respective clubs – Malo Gusto and young defender Castello Lukeba, who previously participated in the World Cup with the team. What considerations led you not to call them up for this squad?

This is purely a tactical choice dictated by squad size. As head coach, you need to be bold enough to make difficult decisions. In my plan, I prefer to assemble a lean squad of 20 players rather than bloating it with 22, 23, or even 24 players. If you indiscriminately accumulate star players, this not only easily leads to conflicts over team selection and rotation in the dressing room, but you also have to painfully exclude some players from the matchday squad, leaving them sitting on the bench. This approach goes completely against my management philosophy; I hate seeing my players reduced to mere spectators on the sidelines.

As for why these two weren't selected this time, it's purely due to specific considerations for this training camp. This in no way implies they've been sidelined; they remain important reserves the national team is seriously considering, and they can return to the squad for the next FIFA date. Ultimately, my main motivation for this decision was to spare players the psychological disappointment of sitting on the bench. Of course, I opted to give other fresh faces the opportunity to be evaluated during this period, but this in no way suggests that Gusto and Lukeba have fallen in the national team hierarchy. On the contrary, they remain readily available for national team selection.

Hello Zinedine, you've confirmed that Kylian Mbappé will continue to be your first captain. In Kylian's absence, have you decided who will wear the captain's armband? Who will be your second and third captains?

They've all been confirmed, or rather...

Can we have the privilege of knowing those names now?

No, not yet. But you'll know very soon.

Approximately how many people are we talking about?

Four. I've personally selected four captains.

Good evening Zinedine, as the French national team enters a new cycle, what kind of spirit and emotional experience do you think French fans most want to see from this newly-formed "Les Bleus"?

The answer is actually quite simple – what fans most want is for the team to keep winning. In the end, that's what matters. You asked specifically about the fans, right?

Yes, they're hoping for something...

Yes, in the end, what they want most is to see the French national team continue winning, as always. I deeply believe this is the shared sentiment of all fans.

Traduzido por IA.

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