French coach Zinedine Zidane has addressed reports of a clash with Kylian Mbappe, confirming that the Real Madrid striker will not be available for the Nations League match against Italy. According to him, it is a physical issue and not a conflict within the squad.
The French national team has arrived in Milan, where it will face Italy on Thursday evening as part of the Nations League. However, on the eve of the match, attention has focused on news of Mbappe’s absence and hints of a strained relationship between him and coach Zinedine Zidane.
Zidane spoke to the press to clarify the situation, stressing that the decision not to field the French star is linked solely to his physical condition.
“Mbappe will not play against Italy. He felt a slight discomfort, and our policy is not to risk any footballer, regardless of his name. Unfortunately, that is football. It is not a pleasant thing, but we have to accept it. There is no tension between us,” Zidane stated.
The French coach added that Mbappe wants to stay close to the team and had expressed his willingness to play, but a muscle problem has forced him not to take the risk.
“The good news is that he wants to stay with us. He even wanted to play tomorrow, but he has a muscle problem. Still, I see him well and he may be ready for Sunday. We have many matches between the national team, the league and the Champions League, so the health of the players is our priority,” he said.
The Real Madrid star is not the only player who will be missing during this period. Zidane also mentioned the cases of Aurelien Tchouameni and Marcus Thuram, who likewise could not stay with the squad due to physical problems.
“The same thing happened with Tchouameni and Thuram. They did not stay with us, as they could not play either tomorrow or on Sunday. In such cases, players have to go home. I appreciated the fact that Aurelien and Marcus came, even though they were not in their best condition. They tried, and it was good to see their desire to play for France,” the coach said.
As for the lineup that will take the field against Italy, Zidane acknowledged that there are many absences, but guaranteed that France will field a competitive team.
“Our goal is to put the best possible team on the pitch. We have players who can put in a good performance. Despite the absences, we will have a competitive team,” he emphasized.
Finally, the French coach also spoke about the difficulty of facing Italy at San Siro, recalling that the Azzurri remain a very well-organized opponent, especially defensively.
“The difficulty always relates to players who cannot be used, because no coach likes that. But it is part of football and we have to accept it. In the first match we had a difficult evening. We know that Italy, when it wants to play a good match, knows how to do it, especially in defence,” Zidane said.He also recalled his period at Juventus, stressing that Italian football has always placed defensive organization first.
“I played four or five years at Juventus, and I think that for an Italian, good defence comes first and then attack. Italy does this excellently,” Zidane concluded.