Thierry Henry impressed by Zinedine Zidane's start as France manager

Thierry Henry has praised the successful start made by Zinedine Zidane as manager of the France national team. The former striker expressed his enthusiasm for Zidane's early tenure, which yielded three wins and a draw during the recent international break.

France strung together positive results under Zidane's guidance. They beat Turkey (1-0) and Belgium (0-1) away, before drawing with Italy (1-1) and thrashing the Red Devils (4-1) at home. This four-match unbeaten run, with three victories, marks a solid start for the new boss.

Thierry Henry's analysis

The former World Cup winner shared his analysis on CBS. He acknowledged the quality of his former teammate's beginning. "Against Italy, we drew 1-1." said Thierry Henry. He added that it was better to start with results to avoid public questioning.

Henry also noted a tactical evolution compared to the Didier Deschamps era. "People always wonder what Didier Deschamps did and what the difference was. It's not so much about comparing the two." he assessed. He cited the example of Lucas Da Cunha, often deployed in midfield to apply pressure and retain possession, an approach that has worked well so far.

Context and what's next

These performances are all the more notable as they were achieved without Kylian Mbappé, who was injured after the first match. The captain and top scorer this season, with 10 goals in 8 appearances, is expected to return soon. Henry highlighted that it would be interesting to see how Zidane manages that reintegration. The real test, in his view, will come against nations like Spain, Portugal, or England.

The next fixture for Les Bleus is a trip to Italy on November 12. With a four-match unbeaten streak, the team approaches the next phase with confidence. The manager must now select his squad for the next break, integrating Mbappé's return and consolidating his possession-based style of play, while aiming to maintain their trend of scoring early, with goals on average in the 11th minute of play during this run.

Background and full detail: Foot Mercato