France criticises Dembélé, rated 4/10 when he played as centre‑forward

At the start of the Zinédine Zidane era in the French national team, Ousmane Dembélé was deployed as a centre‑forward on Friday night against Turkey, but the number 7 received a 4/10 rating from journalist Pierre Ménès.

Luis Enrique had already positioned the same player as a centre‑forward when he was coaching Paris Saint‑Germain. That decision had then surprised observers, but it had not provoked such harsh criticism.

Press criticism

Pierre Ménès rated Dembélé’s performance at 4/10, declaring “what the hell is he doing there?” on his YouTube channel. He noted that the number 7 was deployed as a centre‑forward without providing the expected threat.

A commentator from Canal Football Club noted that Dembélé had taken part in the build‑up play 70 m from the Turkish goal, but contributed nothing as a centre‑forward. His only good balls came from the right wing.

Zidane reaffirms his seniority rule by naming Dembélé captain

Dembélé was also appointed captain against the Red Devils, but his influence has greatly waned. Zidane will decide whether he will be used again as a centre‑forward on Monday night against Belgium in Brussels, where he will wear the armband in the absence of Kylian Mbappé.

For this second matchday of the Nations League, the PSG player is expected to wear the captain’s armband. Zinédine Zidane has selected three vice‑captains: the 2025 Ballon d’Or, Adrien Rabiot and Jules Koundé.

The manager thus favours seniority to establish the hierarchy among these three players.