Zinédine Zidane has chosen Désiré Doué to lead the line for France against Italy on Thursday evening in Milan, handing the quick, mobile winger a number 9 role that usually belongs to a more fixed central striker.
The move matters because this is no exhibition. France and Italy met in the 5th matchday of the Ligue des nations, with the match scheduled to kick off at 20h45 and France already forced to reshape its attack without Kylian Mbappé. Zidane's answer was clear: Doué in the middle, Adrien Rabiot as captain, Mike Maignan in goal, and a starting line built around movement rather than a classic target man.
The full French XI underlined that choice. Gusto was set on the right of defense, Upamecano and Jacquet formed the central pairing, and Truffert played on the left. In midfield, Cherki, Da Cunha and Rabiot gave France a technical trio, with Bradley Barcola on the left and Michael Olise expected on the right. It is a team designed to keep the ball moving and to swap positions, not to wait for a lone striker to pin defenders back.
That is also why Doué stands out in the plan. He is described more as a winger than a classic center forward, so placing him at number 9 is less a straight replacement than a structural bet. France is leaning on pace and interchange, with Doué able to drift, combine with Barcola and Olise, and turn the front line into something fluid. The risk is obvious: against Italy's back four of Kayode, Scalvini, Bastoni and Calafiori, there is no traditional reference point in the center if the attack needs one.
Italy, for its part, arrived with Donnarumma captaining and guarding goal, while Roberto Mancini used a 4-3-3 system built around Tonali, Barella and Frattesi in midfield and Cambiaghi, Sebastiano Esposito and Pio Esposito across the front. The setting at San Siro also added to the sense that this would not be a polished technical exercise; the pitch was poor, and that usually rewards directness as much as invention.
France had already shown in an earlier 1-1 draw at the Stade de France that Italy could be difficult to control for long stretches. This time, Zidane has answered the shortage up front with a different kind of solution, and the first test comes immediately. At 20h45, Doué was the player asked to make the experiment work.
