France vs Italy: Why Ousmane Dembélé Could Be Zidane’s Key Man

France face Italy in a highly anticipated UEFA Nations League clash at the Stade de France, with Zinedine Zidane preparing for his first major test on home soil as head coach of Les Bleus.

France have made a perfect start to the competition, collecting six points from their opening two matches against Türkiye and Belgium. Italy, meanwhile, bounced back from their opening defeat to Belgium with a convincing 4–1 victory over Türkiye. 

The biggest storyline surrounding France is the absence of Kylian Mbappé. The Real Madrid forward suffered a knee injury during the victory over Türkiye and was ruled out of the squad. His absence puts greater responsibility on the rest of Zidane’s attacking options, particularly Ousmane Dembélé. 

Dembélé takes centre stage for France

Without Mbappé, Zidane has several attacking options available, including Dembélé, Michael Olise and Désiré Doué.

Dembélé could be particularly important because of his ability to operate from the right side while also moving into central areas. His pace and movement can create problems for an Italian defence that will have to remain disciplined when France transition quickly from defence into attack.

The French attack may also benefit from the freedom given to Olise and Doué. Rather than relying on one player to provide the majority of the attacking threat, Zidane can use the movement of the front three to create spaces between Italy’s defensive lines.

This could make Dembélé one of the most important players in the match.

Zidane faces his first major home test

Zidane began his tenure with two 1–0 victories. France defeated Türkiye in his first match before securing another narrow win against Belgium, with Olise scoring the decisive goal late in the game. 

The defensive record has been encouraging, with France yet to concede a goal in the opening two Nations League matches.

However, Italy represents a different challenge. The Azzurri arrive in Paris with renewed confidence after producing four goals against Türkiye, with Alessandro Bastoni, Davide Frattesi, Michael Kayode and Pio Esposito finding the net. 

The match therefore gives Zidane an opportunity to see how his team performs against an opponent capable of creating problems at both ends of the pitch.

Italy looking to build on their response

Italy’s campaign began with a 2–0 defeat against Belgium, but Roberto Mancini’s side responded strongly against Türkiye.

The four-goal performance provided a significant boost ahead of the trip to France, while young forward Pio Esposito added another attacking option after finding the net in the victory. 

Sandro Tonali is also expected to have an important role in midfield. His ability to control possession and help Italy transition between defence and attack could be crucial against a French side that wants to dictate the tempo.

A tactical battle to watch

One of the key areas will be the space behind Italy’s full-backs.

If Italy commit players forward, France could attempt to exploit the space with Dembélé’s acceleration. The French forward’s ability to move inside could also create room for teammates attacking from wider positions.

At the other end, Italy will need to find ways to test a French defence that has remained unbeaten and, more importantly, has not conceded in this Nations League campaign.

For Zidane, the challenge is not simply replacing Mbappé with another individual player. France will need a collective attacking solution, with Dembélé, Olise and Doué sharing the creative and goalscoring responsibility.

What to watch in France vs Italy

The spotlight will naturally fall on Dembélé, but several other storylines could shape the game.

Zidane will be looking to see whether his attacking system can produce enough chances without Mbappé, while Italy will try to carry the momentum from their four-goal victory over Türkiye.

The battle in midfield, Italy’s defensive positioning and France’s ability to exploit transitions could all prove decisive.

For Dembélé, meanwhile, this is an opportunity to become the central attacking figure in a France side entering a new era under Zidane.