Zidane cuts ties with Deschamps' staff and imposes his own team at France

Zinedine Zidane has made a clean break with the Deschamps era by refusing to integrate his predecessor’s former collaborators into his staff, causing frustration among several of them, according to L’Équipe.

After fourteen years leading Les Bleus, Didier Deschamps stepped down following the 2026 World Cup. Upon taking office, Zidane assembled a technical team of his own making, relying notably on his loyal assistant David Bettoni, complemented by new faces he personally selected.

According to the sports daily, several members of Deschamps’ staff made contact with Zidane to offer their services. These approaches came to nothing: the new manager deliberately chose to retain no element from the previous team, a way of asserting his identity and symbolically breaking with the fourteen years of “DD’s” reign.

This decision sparked frustration among these technicians, who hoped to continue their adventure within the national team. It illustrates Zidane’s desire to exercise total control over his working environment, a constant already observed during his years on the Real Madrid bench.

On the sporting front, Zidane’s initial directions are also beginning to take shape: a tactical change is reportedly underway, and a likely repositioning of Kylian Mbappé is being discussed. The new manager’s first squad list also included several new faces.

France will return to competition at the next Nations League gathering, with four matches scheduled: a trip to Turkey on 25 September, then to Belgium on 28 September, before hosting Italy on 2 October and Belgium again on 5 October at Stade de France.