Zinedine Zidane is getting the keys to France at arguably the best moment in a generation — and that might be the hardest part of the job.
Didier Deschamps has confirmed he's stepping down after two remaining matches, and the transition to Zidane feels less like speculation at this point and more like a formality. But what Zidane is inheriting isn't the pragmatic, grind-it-out France that won the 2018 World Cup. This version plays differently. More openly. More dangerously.
How Deschamps quietly rebuilt France's identity
For most of his tenure, Deschamps coached the way he played — disciplined, organized, deeply suspicious of unnecessary risk. He built around midfielders in his own image: Matuidi, Kanté, Pogba. Structure first, flair second. The team hit hard and played little.
That started to crack when the midfield pipeline dried up. Replacements like Camavinga never fully earned his trust, and meanwhile France kept producing elite attackers at a rate that made the old system look wasteful. So Deschamps adapted — something managers of his stature rarely do convincingly.
The result is a 4-2-3-1 built around four forwards, designed to overwhelm opposition before they can settle. It's the system he's hoping will finally crack Spain in Dallas. Whether it does or doesn't, the tactical evolution is real and already embedded in the squad's DNA.
Zidane's first real decision as France manager
He hasn't officially taken the job, and the pressure is already forming. Zidane walks into a setup that works — the defensive solidity is still there, the attacking output has been unlocked, and the personnel is as good as any France squad in memory. You don't tinker with that lightly.
But it wasn't his system to build. That's the tension. Does he take the blueprint Deschamps spent years developing and run with it? Or does he put his own stamp on things and risk breaking something that isn't broken?
- France's attacking depth gives any manager options — the problem is managing egos, not finding talent
- The 4-2-3-1 suits the current squad, but Zidane has historically favored more controlled setups
- Whoever starts between France and Spain will give the clearest signal of where this team's ceiling actually is
If you're looking at France's tournament odds going forward, the system change — or lack of one — matters as much as the personnel. A Zidane side that keeps the attack-first structure is a different betting proposition than one that resets to something more cautious.
Deschamps leaves France in better shape tactically than he found it. That's his legacy. What Zidane does with it is the next question — and he won't get long before people start asking it loudly.
