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

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Hello Zinedine, I'd like to ask about Kylian Mbappe's tactical position: What's your plan for deploying him? Do you think he's currently the best option for the No. 9 position in the French national team? In your overall offensive tactical setup in the final third, is the central striker position most effective for bringing out his strengths?

No, I don't entirely agree. As Mbappe himself has openly stated before, he has the ability to play freely across three positions in the final third. I can't say with certainty that central striker is his best primary position, but what is certain is that he can perform at the highest level in all three of these positions in the final third. Personally, I also greatly appreciate his performances on the left wing – for instance, the attacks he initiates from the left.

Hello Zinedine, following up on my colleague's question about team building: it's common knowledge that your predecessor, Didier Deschamps, always considered "daily interactions between players" and "collective team atmosphere" as core criteria when selecting the national team squad. I'd like to ask you, in this new cycle since you've taken office, how important are these two dimensions as you build the national team's call-up list going forward?

These two dimensions are, of course, very crucial. But for now, I need to first gain a deeper understanding and familiarize myself with this team, because this is the first time I'm gathering with these players as head coach. That's why having a full 15-day training camp is invaluable. Regarding my philosophy on team building, my views are entirely consistent with Deschamps'. Without question, the entire team must maintain a high level of consistency regarding our tactical objectives and shared ethical code. When everyone comes to Clairefontaine to train, unity of thought and action and cohesion throughout the team will be paramount.

Hello Zinedine, a colleague asked you about your coaching legacy last time, but you didn't have the chance to answer...

No problem, please go ahead.

Regarding your coaching philosophy as head coach of the national team, looking back at the four head coaches under whom you played as a key national player – such as Jacquet, Lemerre, and others – what core elements did you learn and take from them, from their working methods and how they conducted their duties to their management skills? What deep inspiration did they provide for your current coaching?

Yes, looking back at my mentors in the national team during my playing days, I believe every coach has brilliant qualities worth learning from and refining for future generations. In fact, my tactical development came not only from successive national team coaches, but also from many great master-level coaches I was fortunate to work with at top clubs throughout my career. When you yourself transition to becoming a head coach, you naturally absorb the management essence from each mentor that appeals most to you and suits you best, and this has been my coaching development path.

Of course, if we focus specifically on the French national team, the two most representative and decisive legendary mentors for me are undoubtedly Aimé Jacquet, because he led us to win the World Cup at home in 1998; and second, Roger Lemerre (who led the team to win the European Championship in 2000), a coach exceptionally skilled at building deep emotional bonds with players and deeply loved by everyone. Every time I look back at those glorious years when we fought side by side, it represents not just precious golden memories for me as a player, but continues to guide my coaching practice as head coach today.

Good evening Zinedine, among the players not selected for this squad, there are two young national team players who are regular starters and consistently perform well at their respective clubs – Malo Gusto and Castello Lukeba, a young center-back who previously participated in the World Cup with the team. What were your considerations for not calling them up to this national team squad?

This is purely a tactical decision based on squad size control. As head coach, you must be willing to make choices. In my plan, I prefer to build a lean squad of 20 players rather than an impractical squad bloated with 22, 23, or even 24 individuals. If you blindly stack star players, it not only tends to create player allocation conflicts and rotation issues in the dressing room, but you also must painfully exclude some players wearing the national team jersey from the matchday squad, leaving them sitting in the stands. This approach goes entirely against my management philosophy; I strongly dislike seeing my players become mere spectators in the stands.

Regarding why they weren't selected this time, it's purely due to specific considerations for this training camp. This doesn't mean they've been sidelined; they remain serious core reserves being considered by the national team, and they may well return to the squad for the next international break. Ultimately, my primary motivation for making this decision is to spare players psychological disappointment from sitting in the stands. Of course, I do tend to give evaluation opportunities to some fresh faces during this period, but this doesn't indicate that Gusto and Lukeba have dropped in the national team's priority order. Rather, they remain ready-to-call candidates for the national team.

Hello Zinedine, you previously confirmed that Kylian Mbappe will continue as 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?

Everything has already been determined, or rather...

Could we now have the privilege of knowing those names?

Not yet. But you'll find out soon.

Roughly how many are there?

Four. I have personally chosen four captains.

Good evening Zinedine, as the French national team begins a new cycle, what spirit and emotional experience do you think most French fans hope to see from the newly formed "Les Bleus"?

The answer is actually quite simple – what fans most want to see is the team continuing to win. That's the heart of it. You're specifically asking about the fans, right?

Yes, they expect something...

Yes, ultimately, what they most want is to see the French national team continue to win, as always. I firmly believe this is the sentiment shared by all fans.

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