Zinédine Zidane admits France imperfections as he gets off to winning start | OneFootball

“It isn’t perfect, that’s for sure, but we will try to improve and I am happy to start with a win,” said Zinédine Zidane after he made his highly anticipated debut in the dugout for France.

It was certainly an imperfect performance from Les Bleus, who nonetheless got their UEFA Nations League campaign – and indeed the Zidane era – off to a winning start against Turkiye (1-0) on Friday night. His side struggled to break down the opponent in the first half and were reliant on a Kylian Mbappé finish to secure the points.

“We are satisfied with our first match,” added Zidane in his traditional post-match press conference. “We won on a difficult pitch. We are very happy with this win after just three or four training sessions. It holds promise for good things to come for us, and we are going to keep working.”

Zidane sought to emphasise the importance of “balance”, which he added his side had throughout the encounter against Turkiye. He and his Bleus will now prepare for a match against Belgium in Brussels on Monday. There will be another game against Belgium and then one against Italy during the current – extended – international break.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle