Zidane studies France during the break between international windows

Between international windows, Zinédine Zidane experienced another side of his role as France head coach: working without having his squad at his disposal. For a little over a month, following a first camp that ended with three wins and a draw, he mainly watched his players and reviewed matches, while also taking a few moments to relax. RMC Sport describes it as his first experience of this waiting period, which allows preparation but offers less control over the squad.

The coach returned to Madrid, where he lives, to spend time with his family while keeping in touch with his technical staff. Much of his work took place in front of a screen. He followed his players in league and European competition, and rewatched selected passages to study details. “I mostly watched them,” he explained, adding: “I had time to watch the matches; I saw quite a few.”

That remote analysis contrasts with his limited presence in the stands. Early in the season, Zidane had only been seen in person at the Trophée des champions in Lens. The period between camps also gave him time to review France’s opening performances and draw initial conclusions from the data, RMC Sport reports: he was more pleased with the team’s play than with its attacking efficiency.

The coach had already spoken of his “frustration” at having to let his players leave after 15 days of work. But time apart gave him the chance to study their matches and prepare adjustments. When announcing his squad, he acknowledged: “It’s true that we need to do better in attack. With the players we have, we have to do better. But at the same time, I’m not worried.”

He also outlined what he believes needs to improve: “We need to build automatisms, put things in place, show videos to my players. There are things we can improve, that’s clear. For example, we had 68% possession and 92% successful passes, but when we compare that with the chances we had, I’m not satisfied. I know we can do better, much better. There are a lot of things to improve, that’s clear, despite the fact that we had very good results.” The first camp brought positive results, but Zidane wants further progress in attacking output and automatisms.