Zidane: ‘France competitive, Lippi a master and I’d love to be Juventus coach one day’

Zidane: ‘France competitive, Lippi a master and I’d love to be Juventus coach one day’ Zinedine Zidane is sure France will be ‘competitive’ against Italy even without Kylian Mbappé, and admits Marcello Lippi ‘taught me so much about tactics’ at Juventus, so he’d love to be their coach one day. It kicks off at San Siro on Thursday at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET). Only the top two go through to the quarter-finals of the Nations League, and currently Les Bleus lead Group A1 with 10 points, followed by Italy on seven and Belgium with six. Considering Italy and Belgium go head-to-head in Brussels for the final match, and France host rock bottom Turkiye, they are practically guaranteed at least second. Zidane learned so much in Italy France coach Zinedine Zidane on the touchline during the Nations League match with Italy in Paris (@equipedefrance) There was a heavy blow with news Mbappé will not even be on the bench tomorrow due to a hamstring issue, especially after the likes of Marcus Thuram, Esteban Lepaul, Ousmane Dembélé, Aurelien Tchouameni, Manu Koné and Pierre Kalulu pulled out. “Mbappé will not be there, he felt some pain and we generally try to avoid risks for the players, but we hope to have him on Sunday,” said Zidane in his press conference. “We sent Tchouameni and Thuram home because they were not in any condition to play on Thursday or Sunday, so I appreciated their decision to come to the training camp even when not fully fit, it was good to see their desire to represent France. “Obviously, Mbappé wanted to play tomorrow as well, but we have to adopt a policy of zero risks. The good news is that he could be available on Sunday. It’s November, there are lots of games, it’s a complicated month, so players have to safeguard their health.” BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – SEPTEMBER 28: Zinedine Zidane, Head Coach of France, looks on before the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 group phase match between Belgium and France at Stade Roi Baudouin on September 28, 2026 in Brussels, Belgium. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images) With so many absentees in attack, who will start upfront against Italy? “The objective is to pick the best possible line-up, and despite the absences, we have a squad capable of doing well. We will be able to field a competitive team,” added Zidane. The coach has made a habit of adapting some of the players to roles they are not accustomed to at club level, such as Inter’s Andy Diouf going from right-sided wing-back to a left-back for France. “We know that he plays in a different position at Inter, but he can cover various roles. When he is with us, it is to play on the left. I want to see players up close and I do try to use them in their natural positions. I can confirm Warren Zaire Emery will play in midfield, for example.” Zidane has only failed to win one game so far on the France bench, and that was the 1-1 draw in Paris against Italy. KOCAELI, TURKEY – SEPTEMBER 25: Zinedine Zidane, Head Coach of France lines up on the touchline with coaching staff for the national anthem before the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 group phase match between Türkiye and France at Kocaeli Stadium on September 25, 2026 in Kocaeli, Turkey. (Photo by Burak Kara/Getty Images) A former Juventus midfielder , he is no surprised by the rebirth of the Azzurri under Roberto Mancini. “We had a complicated night there because we know that when Italy want to put in a good performance, they certainly can, especially when defending. I played at Juventus for four or five years, so I know that for an Italian coach, defence comes first, then the attack. It’s something Italy does so well.” Zidane was asked in the press conference if he would like to be the coach of Juventus one day, a role Didier Deschamps already took. “Yes, but you never know. Marcello Lippi taught me we must never stop, we’ve always got to keep pushing. At the start I didn’t play well in Turin, the fans and the media didn’t love me. “I suffered a little, but Lippi told me I would play for his Juve. I owe him everything. I’d love one day to be at Juventus, why not, if I continue working as a coach.” 29 Aug 1999: Zinedine Zidane of Juventus during the Serie A match against Reggina at the Stadio Delle Alpi in Turin, Italy. The game ended 1-1. Mandatory Credit: Claudio Villa /Allsport Although Zidane hit the heights of his playing career at Real Madrid, he assures the seeds were sowed at Juventus first. “We spent so much of our day working on tactics with Lippi in training, so for someone like me who always wants the ball at his feet, it means a steep learning curve. “A master like Lippi taught me so much on a tactical level. He also put so much faith in me, and I tried to repay him on the field.” Of course, Lippi went on to win the World Cup with Italy in 2006, beating France in the Final with Zidane sent off.