{
  "id": 9367540,
  "title": "Kylian Mbappe holds the key as Zidane’s France reign begins against Turkey",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/kylian-mbappe-holds-the-key-as-zidanes-france-reign-begins-against",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-23T16:10:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/kylian-mbappe-holds-key-zidane-161000383.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Zinedine Zidane commenced his tenure as France’s head coach in a UEFA Nations League match against Turkey, scheduled for Friday at Kocaeli Stadyumu. Zidane aims to advance upon his former mentor Didier Deschamps, who led Les Bleus for a decade, guiding them to two World Cup finals and the 2021 UEFA Nations League title. Mbappe, now France’s top scorer and captain, may prove instrumental in Zidane’s strategic plan, much like he did under Deschamps. A leading French attacker, Mbappe has netted 10 goals in all competitions this campaign, second only to his teammates in Europe’s premier leagues. Expected to spearhead the attack against Turkey, the 27-year-old could be backed by Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele, if the coach adheres to his preferred 4-3-3 formation. The trio operated together in seven of France’s eight recent matches, forming a front four alongside either Bradley Barcola or Desire Doue. While Les Bleus possess the finest attacking talent in Europe, finding the right balance to the team, particularly when facing top-tier opponents, will be crucial to Zidane’s success. Their loss to Spain in the World Cup semi-final last year highlighted the necessity of complementing France’s attacking prowess with improved overall balance. As France are heavy favorites for Friday’s clash against Turkey, it presents Zidane with an ideal opportunity to demonstrate that his approach diverges from his predecessor.",
  "summary": "Zinedine Zidane begins his reign as France’s head coach when they face Turkey in the UEFA Nations League at Kocaeli Stadyumu on Friday.Zidane will be tasked with building on the success of his prede...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}