Zidane's Early Strategy: Mbappe Remains Captain with Adjusted Role

Zinedine Zidane has barely sat down in the France dugout and already two pillars of his project are clear: Kylian Mbappe keeps the armband, and this team will run – with or without the ball.

The new France boss named his first 23-man squad on Friday for the upcoming Nations League fixtures, ushering in a new cycle with five uncapped players and one immovable figure at the centre of it all. According to RMC Sport, Zidane confirmed that Mbappe will remain captain under his leadership, ending any hint of early intrigue around the dressing-room hierarchy.

The armband is staying put. The position on the pitch, though, is not.

Mbappe, but not as a No 9?

Zidane openly hinted that Mbappe will not be used primarily as a central striker, despite the forward’s ability to operate anywhere across the frontline. In a squad refresh that already signals change, the coach was clear about where he sees his star at his most devastating.

“He is capable of playing in all three positions. He has said it himself,” Zidane told reporters at his unveiling press conference. “Me, for example, I like him a lot on the left.”

One sentence, and the picture sharpens. A France side built around Mbappe cutting in from the left, driving at full-backs, opening lanes for others. The central role remains an option, but not the automatic choice. Under Zidane, the captain’s freedom comes with a framework.

The defensive question: “A false debate”

No France manager escapes questions about Mbappe’s work rate without the ball. Zidane faced them immediately.

With Mbappe’s move to Real Madrid still fresh and Spanish pundits already dissecting every sprint and non-sprint, a journalist pressed the new coach on the forward’s defensive contribution and the wider work ethic of his attackers.

Zidane did not bite. He shut it down.

“It is a false subject, a false debate, it will have to be managed like all the other players,” he replied. “When we do not have the ball, we will have to make an effort. It will not be a problem for Kylian.”

No special rules, no public scolding, no indulgence either. The message was simple: Mbappe will be treated like everyone else, and everyone else will be expected to work. The glamour of a refreshed attack, yes – but anchored to collective effort without the ball.

Steering clear of politics

The questions did not stay on tactics for long. They rarely do with Mbappe.

The press conference veered into non-football territory, touching on the 2027 French presidential elections and the recent controversy around Mbappe’s refusal to wear a t-shirt fully supporting residents of Ceuta. The political spotlight, once again, hovered over the national team’s biggest star.

Zidane wanted none of it.

“I am going to dedicate myself to this task, manager of the France national team,” he said. “However, I have convictions like everyone else, I am a citizen. As for sharing them... Everyone does as they want, but I am going to try to dedicate myself to this task.”

No grand declarations, no public stance. Zidane drew a clear line: football first, private beliefs kept private.

A new era begins in Turkiye

The talking stops on September 25. That is when France travel to Kocaeli to face Turkiye in League A, the first competitive steps of the Zidane era. Three days later comes a trip to Brussels to meet Belgium, a second high-level test in quick succession.

Two away games, two hostile environments, one immediate examination of Zidane’s ideas.

Will Mbappe start on the left as hinted? How quickly will the five uncapped players absorb the demands of a coach who expects effort from everyone, captain included? And how fast can this new-look France turn a bold blueprint into a ruthless, winning machine?