Zinedine Zidane's Emphasis on High Pressing for France

Since taking the helm, Zinedine Zidane has consistently stressed his desire for players to press high as a unit, aiming to stifle opponents. This represents a significant shift for the French national team as they prepare to face Belgium.

On Friday evening, the new French coach highlighted what he "liked most about France's match in Turkey." Zidane reiterated multiple times his appreciation for his players' ability to execute the pressing strategy, a tactic drilled during training sessions since the team gathered at Clairefontaine. "We executed this high press very well," Zidane commented from Izmit. "Regaining the ball quickly is important and beneficial. We implemented specific tactics. We must also be effective without the ball for team balance."

Pressing Failures or Absence Marked the Spain Semi-Final

The collective pressing, or lack thereof, in the French team's performance might be the most significant change. The Blues were notably deficient in this area against Spain during the World Cup semi-final. Ousmane Dembélé repeatedly signaled his frustration to teammates, indicating he couldn't press alone. This issue even led to discussions in the locker room at halftime during that difficult match in Dallas.

"We know we are strong with the ball. But against top-level opponents, we need to be strong without the ball, with team balance," Zidane reminded. His predecessor, Didier Deschamps, often favored a more defensive, low block setup, allowing opponents to advance. Zidane, however, prefers to challenge opponents higher up the pitch, aiming to recover possession as close to their goal as possible.

Goal in Turkey Exemplifies Successful Pressing

Kylian Mbappé's goal in Turkey perfectly illustrates the approach favored by the former Real Madrid manager. Jules Koundé, Rayan Cherki, and Michael Olise applied high pressure, leading to a quick recovery and immediate pass to Mbappé.

Ousmane Dembélé also set the tempo in that sequence. Zidane views positioning the Ballon d'Or winner as a forward as crucial for pressing initiatives, noting that "Ousmane is intelligent in his pressing" and "also observes what's happening behind him," as he mentioned on TF1 this Sunday. Zidane envisions Dembélé as the key player to initiate pressing, deciding when and how to launch it, mirroring his role under Luis Enrique at PSG.

Camavinga Calls it Zidane's 'Spanish Touch'

Zidane aims to convince his players, Mbappé foremost among them, to commit to this style of play. Eduardo Camavinga describes it as Zidane's "Spanish touch," confirming that "the coach emphasizes pressing." This football philosophy, often associated with Zidane's time in Spain, extends beyond ball possession and fluid movement. 'Zizou' wants pressing to become a collective reflex, firmly believing that winning the ball high up the pitch will be a potent weapon given the quality of France's attackers. The upcoming match against Belgium, who recently defeated Italy and is arguably the toughest team in their group after France, will serve as a crucial test.

While Zidane plans to rotate the squad on Monday in Brussels, this will still allow the staff to instill this central tenet of ZZ's style throughout the group: the significance of pressing. Perhaps he will even offer his players a book, as he did when coaching Castilla (Real Madrid's reserve team). There, Zidane provided his young players with reading material, including a book by former Argentine footballer Quique Wolff titled 'Working as a Team is the Goal of a Lifetime.' Such insights could aid their pressing efforts.