Lizarazu prefers Olise and Dembélé, Mbappé criticised early

Zinedine Zidane, nicknamed Zizou, starts victoriously at the helm of the Bleus, with France’s Mbappé and Dembélé securing a 0‑1 win in Turkey on Friday night. Kylian Mbappé, a Real Madrid striker, opens the scoring but gets injured and leaves the pitch at half‑time. Olise, Bixente Lizarazu, for his part, criticises Mbappé’s performance.

Zizou’s first success in the Nations League

In the context of the first matchday of the Nations League, the Bleus beat Turkey 0‑1. Zinedine Zidane, nicknamed “Zizou”, led his side to this first victory as manager. The decisive goal was scored by Kylian Mbappé.

Kylian Mbappé, who plays for Real Madrid, was injured on the strike that produced the goal. The injury forced him to leave the field at half‑time. His absence was immediately felt by France.

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

Michael Olise, assessed by Bixente Lizarazu, was judged the most effective, the most creative and the hardest to stop. Lizarazu highlighted Olise’s impact on the left wing of the tricolour attack.

Ousmane Dembélé, positioned at the centre of the attack, received Lizarazu’s praise. The 1998 World Cup champion appreciated his pressing impact, which provided the goal for France, recalling his leadership role at PSG.

Despite his goal, Lizarazu criticised Mbappé’s performance, saying he lost his bearings on the left side and that his dribbles were too forced. He stated that the performance was improvable and that the attack could be enhanced.