Zinedine Zidane wants to move Kylian Mbappe to the left wing for France, a decision that could affect Ousmane Dembele's role with the national team and PSG.
Just days before his debut as manager of the French national team, Zinedine Zidane announced his intention to address a highly delicate issue. The new coach said he wanted to move Kylian Mbappé to the left wing of the French attack, a change that would affect a PSG star.
Zidane has repeatedly signaled his desire to do things differently from his predecessor, Didier Deschamps. While the former coach ultimately settled Mbappé into the central number 9 role, the new coach seems determined to return to a different lineup: Kylian playing out wide on the left, a position where the striker has long shone in the PSG jersey.
This choice, just days before the trip to Turkey for the Nations League, is already fueling debate.
First Major Change in the French National Team
This repositioning would already satisfy the expectations of many observers, with Ousmane Dembélé potentially returning to his central role, where he shines with PSG.
But it would also free up the right-back position for Michael Olise, who has truly blossomed there at Bayern Munich. This would give us a three-man attack if Zidane sticks with what we've seen at Real Madrid in the past, but it would also allow a slightly more attacking formation, perhaps with Rayan Cherki playing the number 10 role or not, depending on the match.
We'll have to wait and see how it plays out, but some observers already seem intrigued, such as Maxime Chanot. "Finally, a choice from a coach, because we saw that Deschamps was completely constrained by his decision to play Mbappé as a number 9."
"Now, Zidane is showing some guts, and he's going to put Mbappé on the left. That means he'll put Ousmane Dembélé in the center, Olise on the right, and Cherki as the number 10. That's exactly what we want to see in this French national team, some real football," Chanot told RMC.
"I see a 4-2-3-1 with Cherki, Ousmane Dembélé returning to his preferred number 9 role, and Olise on the right, which is his best position, as we saw at Bayern Munich. We mustn't forget that it's a hybrid system, and it won't be truly fixed,” continued the former Luxembourg international.
“I can easily see Zidane playing this way with a double midfield of Koné and Rabiot. Individually speaking, it's a formidable combination. Mbappé's best season with PSG was when he played on the left. When Zinedine Zidane asks you to play on the left, believe me, Mbappé will accept it…"
Do you think it is a good idea to put Mbappé back on the left while giving Dembélé a more centralized role?
