Mbappé to reclaim striker role with France, Dembélé ruled out

Kylian Mbappé should reclaim his position as France’s central striker during the November international break, according to commentator Daniel Riolo. Zidane will unveil his second squad list as France manager this Friday at 6 p.m., ahead of UEFA Nations League clashes against Italy on November 12 and Turkey on November 15.

During Zidane’s first squad announcement, Mbappé had been deployed on the left wing, with the manager preferring Ousmane Dembélé in the centre. “He is capable of playing in all three positions. Personally, for example, I really like him on the left,” Zidane had said just over a month ago. But Mbappé subsequently had to leave the gathering early due to a knee injury.

The situation has changed: Dembélé is now injured and is not expected to be called up. For Riolo, the consequence is straightforward. “You’ll see him back as a number 9 for France because on the wing, let’s be honest, that’s the past. I wanted to keep believing there was hope on the left… But I think he’s no longer motivated by that. And besides, there’s no one better than him in France,” he stated.

Riolo goes further in his analysis of Mbappé’s situation, arguing that the difficulties faced by Real Madrid’s number 10 in recent years stem less from his positioning than from the collective environment in which he has played. “He’s not a problem in a team, as long as the team is well-constructed, which he didn’t have at PSG, which he struggled to have at Real when he arrived. But once a team takes shape and he’s surrounded properly, there’s no reason why a player of this quality shouldn’t express himself and finally flourish,” he concluded.