Belgium vs France arrives early in Zinedine Zidane’s tenure, but it already looks like the kind of international match that can reveal more than a routine group-stage result.
France travel to the Stade Roi Baudouin in Brussels for their second UEFA Nations League match after opening Zidane’s reign with a win over Turkey. This time they will be without Kylian Mbappé, who returned to Madrid after suffering a knee problem. The absence changes both the attack and the leadership structure of a team that is still learning how its new coach wants to play.
The fixture has also been one of the strongest football trends in France, with “France Belgique” and Nations League searches rising sharply on Google Trends before kick-off.
France have to solve the Mbappé problem differently
There is no direct replacement for Mbappé because his influence covers several jobs at once. He stretches the defence, attacks the space behind, carries the ball on transitions and attracts enough attention to create room for the players around him.
Zidane therefore has a structural decision rather than simply a selection decision. AllFootball reports that Désiré Doué is among the players who could be used centrally, while Ousmane Dembélé’s workload is also being managed after he started against Turkey.
Dembélé has another responsibility in the new set-up. Zidane has spoken positively about his leadership and the role he plays as a vice-captain. With Mbappé absent, the PSG forward becomes one of the senior voices in the group whether he starts or enters later.
Zidane has already promised changes
The France coach has made no attempt to hide the fact that he will rotate. At his pre-match press conference, Zidane confirmed there would be changes without revealing how many. That is logical after the travel and recovery demands of the opening international window.
Rotation should also give Zidane information. International managers have little training time, especially at the start of a new cycle. Competitive matches become part of the evaluation process. Players such as Doué, Rayan Cherki and Bradley Barcola can show how quickly they understand the spacing and pressing requirements of the new 4-3-3.
Belgium present a different physical test
Zidane described Belgium as more athletic and physically powerful than Turkey, with a greater emphasis on second balls and crosses. That matters because France’s first match under him was built around controlling central spaces and trying to recover possession quickly.
Belgium can make the game less comfortable. If the contest becomes stretched, France’s midfield will have to protect the spaces around the full-backs and prevent second balls from turning into repeated attacks.
It is also a useful test for Mike Maignan. The France goalkeeper has started the Zidane era positively and is working with new goalkeeping coach Fabien Barthez. As The Football Xtra reported in our look at Barthez’s new role, Maignan is said to have responded well to the change in coaching staff.
The ball will tell us more about Zidane’s France
Zidane has repeatedly stressed that France need to improve with the ball. That is the interesting part of this match. His Real Madrid teams were comfortable adapting to different game states, but international football gives him far less time to install patterns.
Against Belgium, the key will be whether France can progress through midfield without relying on Mbappé to turn difficult possessions into dangerous attacks. Cherki’s ability to receive between the lines could become important, while Dembélé, if used, offers a different kind of movement through central and wide areas.
France also need to control the rhythm. A fast, transitional match may suit Belgium’s physical approach. Longer possessions can make the home side defend deeper and reduce the number of direct duels around France’s back line.
This is an early examination, not a verdict
It is too soon to judge Zidane’s France on one away game, especially with the captain unavailable and the squad being rotated. But this is exactly the type of fixture that can show whether the early ideas are travelling from the training ground to the pitch.
France won their first match. Now they need to show that the new structure can survive a different opponent, a different physical challenge and the absence of their most decisive forward.
For Zidane, that makes Belgium more useful than a comfortable home fixture. It gives him a competitive environment in which to test the depth of his squad and the flexibility of his first tactical choices before the Nations League campaign becomes more demanding.
Read Here: GOAL — Belgium vs France match information | AllFootball — Zidane’s pre-match press conference | AllFootball — Dembélé leadership role
Featured image: France national team, Bryan Berlin/WikiPortraits, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
