Ahead of the UEFA Nations League match between France and Belgium, France coach Zidane held a pre-match press conference, discussing team rotation, his experience coaching France, and Ronaldo's career, among other topics. This is the second part of the press conference.

First part of the press conference

Zidane: I really enjoyed my experience coaching at Real Madrid, and now I want to do well with the French national team.

Belgian newspaper reporter: Since you watched that match, what did you think of De Bruyne's performance? Does his suspension tomorrow relieve you?

Excuse me, which match are you referring to?

The Belgium vs. Turkey match. Does his suspension relieve you?

No, I wouldn't say it's a relief. Because honestly, I would prefer him to play. Everyone wants to see great football. Now that he's accumulated two yellow cards, other players will take his place. These players are all very, very, very good. So despite their absence, I know we will still face a tough match tomorrow.

L'Équipe reporter: At Real Madrid, your team was excellent at set pieces. But the French team hasn't been performing ideally in this area for some time. Have you identified this as an area for improvement? Against Italy, we saw some new arrangements for attacking set pieces, with many players positioned outside the box near the edge. Who on your coaching staff is responsible for this? How often do you practice it?

Yes, we practice together. Of course, there's also someone specifically responsible for this—my assistant coach Bettoni. He pays particular attention to set pieces. We haven't had much time to practice them yet, but it's certainly an important aspect of the game.

Ouest-France reporter: Maignan is the only player who started all three matches. His performance has been excellent, especially in covering the space behind the defense. What do you expect from a goalkeeper? In your opinion, what should a goalkeeper be like?

Exactly what you said, and you observed it very accurately. Maignan is a very proactive and aggressive goalkeeper who is willing to come off his line. He can stay in the box or near the goal line, but when our overall shape is pushed high, he can also actively advance forward.

I really like that. Against Italy, we saw it twice—once he headed the ball and once he used his chest. Against Belgium, he also came very far forward. I like that because it shows he's involved in the game and engaged with what we're doing.

France Football reporter: Against Italy, we noticed that France sometimes took a little too long to assess the situation, pass, and shoot. Did you notice this problem, and do you think it needs to be corrected against Belgium?

Are you referring to us losing possession? Are you talking about the goal we conceded?

I mean assessing the situation, passing, and shooting. We felt France sometimes hesitated. Is this something that needs to be corrected?

I'm not sure we hesitated. If there's anything to point out in that regard, it's our positioning and distribution of players in the box. We didn't do well enough there. When we entered deep areas or delivered cut-back crosses, we weren't well positioned in the box.

But other than that, there's no problem with our passing. That's what I want—I want us to move the ball well. Of course, once you enter the final 30 meters, if you want to make a difference against an opponent in a low block with two defensive lines and 10 players defending, you naturally won't have much space, and things become more complicated. At that point, you need to create something, and it's up to the players and their creativity.

Stats Perform reporter: I want to ask about the latest news regarding Ronaldo. Portuguese media claims he may have retired from the Portuguese national team. You worked with him—what do you think of his career with Portugal? Do you also agree with the statement that his career didn't end well?

No, I think we should pay tribute to his great career. What he achieved is extraordinary. I was fortunate to have such a player. He helped me win some incredible honors. So I want to pay tribute to Cristiano.

I have always had great respect for all players, but I have even more respect for those who worked with me and spent time with me. Especially Cristiano—he really helped us win a lot of things.

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