Riolo rules out Rabiot and Tchouameni from Zidane's new France project

Belgium’s victory over France in the Nations League (1-0) on Monday evening did not prevent new manager Zinedine Zidane from convincing at least one observer: columnist Daniel Riolo believes that two pillars of the Deschamps era no longer have a place in this squad.

The change of direction is clear. Where Didier Deschamps favored a midfield focused on balance and volume, Zidane has opted for a more technical trio, repositioning Rayan Cherki as a relay midfielder and calling up Lucas Da Cunha for the first time, a midfielder from Como. The latter honored his first cap on Monday evening and distinguished himself in a defensive midfield role, providing immediate proof of the relevance of the manager’s choice.

It is in this context that Riolo delivered his verdict on Adrien Rabiot and Aurélien Tchouameni. “Usually, our midfield doesn’t appeal to me enough. I liked it much more tonight, especially because certain players weren’t there. With Camavinga or Koné, Da Cunha, it will be better than with Rabiot. Rabiot, in a Deschamps or Allegri style, yes. In a style with movement, with heavy pressing and intensity, no. It’s not his game, otherwise he’d be in England, not in a sluggish club in Italy,” he said.

On the case of Tchouameni, absent from this gathering as he was not called up by Zidane, the tone is equally sharp: “Tchouameni? We need to turn the page. It’s a footballing page that is turning. He cannot be part of the competition in this style of football.”

These positions remain those of a columnist, not the manager himself. Zidane has not yet publicly clarified whether Rabiot and Tchouameni are permanently ruled out of his plans, or simply in competition with a new generation of midfielders.