Zidane Loses His Unbeaten Record, and French Media Lose Patience After Italy Defeat
Zinedine Zidane is facing his first major wave of criticism as France manager following a 3-1 defeat to Italy. The loss at San Siro not only complicated Les Bleus' UEFA Nations League quarterfinal hopes but also raised questions about the coach's decisions
The early days of Zinedine Zidane's tenure as France manager had gone remarkably smoothly. But his first defeat has brought a noticeable change in tone.
France's 3-1 loss to Italy prompted several major newspapers to question both the team's performance and the decisions made by the former Real Madrid coach.
Le Figaro suggested that Zidane's honeymoon period was over, pointing to his first setback and the mistakes that accompanied it.
Le Parisien was equally critical, describing the new generation of French players as too soft.
Meanwhile, Le Monde portrayed the defeat as a major shock after an almost ideal start to Zidane's tenure.
The newspaper highlighted the absence of several important players, including Kylian Mbappé, while noting how the hostile atmosphere at San Siro exposed weaknesses in the French side.
For Zidane, it was an unfamiliar experience in his new role: instead of praise for another convincing performance, the discussion turned to what had gone wrong.
Daniel Riolo Takes Aim at Zidane's Decisions
The criticism extended beyond the newspapers.
Speaking on RMC, journalist Daniel Riolo questioned several of Zidane's tactical choices and described France's performance in particularly harsh terms.
"Zidane's decisions are highly questionable in certain positions," Riolo said.
He acknowledged that France had started the match impressively, pressing aggressively, moving the ball well and creating problems for Italy.
But that promising opening made the collapse even harder to explain.
In Riolo's view, France lost its direction after initially looking capable of overwhelming the opposition.
His criticism reflected a wider concern: a team that appeared to have the match under control ended up suffering its first defeat under Zidane.
France Waste Their Chances as Italy Fight Back
France arrived in Milan knowing that a draw would secure a place in the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals. A victory would have guaranteed top spot in the group.
The visitors could hardly have asked for a better start.
Michael Olise opened the scoring in the 10th minute, capitalizing on a mistake by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
France continued to create opportunities, with Bradley Barcola and Rayan Cherki both striking the woodwork.
But the missed chances proved costly.
Italy equalized through Francesco Pio Esposito in the 26th minute before taking control after halftime.
Davide Frattesi put the hosts ahead in the 63rd minute, and Pio Esposito completed the 3-1 victory from the penalty spot in the 74th.
The result ended France's nine-match unbeaten run in the competition.
It also left the quarterfinal race wide open, with France and Italy level on ten points and Belgium just one point behind.
Zidane Refuses to Panic but Admits France Fell Apart
Despite the criticism, Zidane insisted that one defeat should not lead to sweeping changes.
The former Real Madrid manager said there had been positives, particularly during the first half, and stressed that setbacks were part of the team's development.
He also made it clear that he had no intention of overreacting to a single result.
However, Zidane did not avoid responsibility for France's second-half problems.
Speaking to TF1, he acknowledged that his players struggled to respond when Italy gained momentum.
"We fell apart, especially after the second goal," he admitted.
The absence of Kylian Mbappé, sidelined through injury, was another factor in a match where France created plenty of chances but lacked a clinical finish.
Three Warning Signs for Zidane's France
- Questions over his decisions: French journalists have begun challenging Zidane's tactical approach and team selection.
- Missed opportunities: France started strongly and hit the woodwork twice but failed to turn its dominance into goals.
- An uncertain qualification picture: Les Bleus remain on ten points, with their Nations League quarterfinal place still to be secured.
France's final group match will now carry added pressure, with Zidane looking to prevent his first defeat from becoming a more serious setback.
