France: Zidane changes Les Bleus formation, hands Mbappe, Olise, Dembele new roles

France coach, Zinedine Zidane has restructured the squad’s tactical formation and assigned new roles to Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise in preparation for their UEFA Nations League fixture against Turkey.

The former Real Madrid midfielder and manager is beginning his tenure as France’s head coach during the opening round of the UEFA Nations League.

The retired France international appears poised to build his squad around a 4-3-3 formation, representing a significant departure from the system employed by his predecessor, Didier Deschamps, during the latter’s final period in charge.

According to French publication L’Équipe, the former World Cup champion communicated his strategic plans on Tuesday evening at the Clairefontaine training facility.

Wednesday’s training session reinforced this direction, with Kylian Mbappé positioned on the left wing, Ousmane Dembélé deployed as the primary striker and Michael Olise occupying the right flank.

Manu Koné is expected to assume the defensive midfield position, with Adrien Rabiot and Rayan Cherki functioning as playmakers alongside him.

L’Équipe reports that the clearest attacking plan gives Dembélé the role of an out-and-out striker, with Mbappé on the left.

This marks a departure from the 4-2-3-1 formation Deschamps used during his final phase in charge, while pushing Michael Olise into the playmaker role.