French media share strong feelings about Zinedine Zidane after surprising Italy loss in Nations League
French media shared their honest thoughts about Zinedine Zidane’s coaching after France lost 3-1 to Italy in the Nations League on Thursday night.
Zidane’s team took an early lead at the San Siro with a goal from Michael Olise and controlled much of the first half. But Italy equalized through Pio Esposito before halftime.
In the second half, France struggled, giving away two penalties—although one was missed—and conceded a goal from former Nottingham Forest player Davide Frattesi in the 63rd minute, putting Italy ahead 2-1. This loss marked Zidane’s first defeat in five games as France’s coach, leading to some serious reflection back home.
French newspaper L’Equipe criticized both the defense and midfield and pointed out Zidane’s pressing tactics, saying the midfield “did little to protect its area” and shared blame for a team that felt uncomfortable defending without strong pressure.
Foot Mercato looked more closely at the defense itself, which included Malo Gusto, Jeremy Jacquet, Dayot Upamecano, and Adrien Truffert. They called Malo Gusto’s performance “disastrous” and said the entire defense made major mistakes.
Journalist Daniel Riolo questioned Zidane’s team setup during his talk on RMC Sport, admitting parts of France’s game “didn’t make sense” to him. He said, “Zidane’s choices in some positions are very questionable. I call it a mess because while the first 25 minutes were strong, after that, it all fell apart.” He also mentioned confusion about players’ roles and movements, saying it was hard to tell who was doing what on the field.
Le Parisien called this loss “the first hiccup of the Zidane era,” saying, “Despite a strong first half, France fell apart at San Siro. This was their first defeat under Zidane and showed clear weaknesses in defense, especially when out of possession.”