Lizarazu identifies two urgent priorities for Zidane with France

Bixente Lizarazu offered a straightforward assessment of the work awaiting Zinédine Zidane during the November Nations League gathering, with two matches on the agenda against Italy (November 12, 8:45 p.m.) and Turkey (November 15, 8:45 p.m.).

First area identified by the former international left-back: building play in midfield. Lizarazu believes Zidane is seeking to establish a team capable of retaining possession and producing greater creativity in the middle of the park. He cited Lucas Da Cunha as a profile capable of providing this technical security, similar to Vitinha at Paris Saint-Germain. “Zizou doesn’t want to chase the ball, he said so,” Lizarazu recalled, emphasizing that this remains one of the most visible priorities since the manager took office.

Second priority raised: offensive play and, more specifically, the defensive pressing demanded of forwards. Without explicitly naming Kylian Mbappé, Lizarazu targeted a profile that matches the France captain trait for trait, regularly criticized for insufficient defensive involvement. “There’s another priority, it’s his attack, with a certain versatility he can demand. And also asking forwards to all defend, as Paris Saint-Germain or Spain’s team can do,” he said on Téléfoot.

Mbappé, absent from the previous gathering due to injury, returns to the squad for these two November matches. They will provide a first opportunity for the Real Madrid player to answer on the pitch to his manager’s expectations regarding collective effort.