Zidane sparks controversy: there was no real competition against Italy, and this is my promise to the fans
A disappointing draw
France's return to the Stade de France, and Zinedine Zidane's first match on home soil as coach of Les Bleus, did not live up to the scenario the French had dreamed of. The hosts had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Italy in a game that saw a clear French advantage despite the lost victory.
Zidane voiced his disappointment with the result afterwards, but chose to highlight his players' performance and their adherence to instructions, insisting the team deserved more than a draw.
Speaking to TF1, Zidane said: "I feel great disappointment on behalf of the players, because we deserved a better result. We had chances to settle the match, but that is football. I am very proud of the team, their performance was good, their pressing of the opponent and their handling of individual situations was ideal."
He added: "The players gave everything they had and were excellent, and that is encouraging. We did not win, but now we have to rest. And with us playing with ten men at the end, we could have conceded a second goal, even though there was no real contest throughout the match."
For all the praise, the French coach admitted there were shortcomings, especially during a first half that brought French possession without enough attacking threat.
He explained: "We had possession in the first half, but our performance was a little lacklustre, and we tried to correct that between the halves. Possession is important, but if we want to hurt the opponent we have to exploit the spaces, which is what we managed to do at the start of the second half."
He continued, in comments reported by the French website "Foot Mercato": "Italy played in a defensive manner and relied on counter-attacks, but we maintained our balance and were not in great danger, except in the final minutes."
Italy's equaliser landed as a painful blow, yet Zidane confirmed his satisfaction with how his players stuck to the plan, especially the pressing and the execution of instructions.
He said: "I am very satisfied. I told the players that we did not achieve the result we wanted, but they can be proud of their performance. These are things we prepared for, and we know them well, and when we lay out the plans and see the players execute them on the pitch, I cannot help but be satisfied."
On the warm reception that greeted him, he said: "Yes, it affected me. We were hoping to give the victory to an entire stadium, and to an entire nation. But that did not happen. We will rest and prepare for our fourth match and seek to win it."
The draw against Italy is Zidane's first stumble in terms of results since he took charge of the French national team. Even so, he emerged convinced his team is heading in the direction he wants, ahead of Monday's clash against Belgium at the Stade de France.
