Mbappé package, blue death, job offer at Juventus: Zidane's truths before Italy-France

What Italy brought him: “Tactics! Honestly, the tactics! With Marcello Lippi (the Juventus coach at the time), we did 30 minutes of tactics every day, with the table. As someone who loved the ball, it squealed (laughs). But they were tactical maestros. I tried to give him back his confidence on the pitch. I remember great derbies with Milan. Marcello Lippi taught me this: you always have to move forward. When I arrived in Turin, I wasn't playing very well, that's why the press and the public didn't consider me up to standard. Lippi told me I had to play with him and I held on. Become the coach of Juventus? Why not in the future.”

The absence of Mbappé: “Yes, Kylian will be out tomorrow (Thursday). He had a little pain and we are not going to take any risks. Whether with Kylian or the other players. It's unfortunate to lose players, but that's part of the game. For a coach, it's horrible. I hope it's not bad and we can have it on Sunday. It’s a little inconvenience.”

The captain’s state of mind: “I think he’s good. Precisely, the proof is, he stays with us and wants to play on Sunday. He would have liked to play tomorrow. He's not happy. But when you have a feeling, you don’t have to take any risks because the season is long.”

How he decides to send the players back to the club: “We also had this with Marcus (Thuram) and Aurélien (Tchouaméni), it was not possible for him to stay with us, they could not play the second match. In these cases, the player must return home and heal. I understand their choice to want to come to the selection, even if they were a little touched. They wanted to be there. It’s great.”

What he likes about Mayulu: “He can play in this position (in false 9), I also consider him as a midfielder. He is doing great things with Paris. I like everything. His technique, what he does and naturally, these are players on the list. We try to do things consistently. We have a list, it’s the coach’s choice.”

We have to deal with the players there are

Zinedine Zidane

What he expects from Mbappé's replacement in 9: “We will look for a balance, always so that the team is as efficient as possible. We have the players for that. That's a lot, there's no choice. You have to deal with the players there are. Tomorrow, we will put together a competitive team.”

Kroupi’s qualities: “Starting a match? We'll see. He is with us. You're right, the idea is that he's in the group, we know what he's been through. Today, it is operational, we will manage it. We know his qualities, what he will bring.