Friday’s Nations League programme throws a cluster of new international eras into the spotlight, with Group A supplying the headline fixtures: Turkey against France and Italy against Belgium. Six matches kick off at 7.45pm BST — Turkey v France, Italy v Belgium, Hungary v Ukraine, Sweden v Romania, Poland v Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro v Cyprus — after the early 5pm BST pair of Georgia v Northern Ireland and Armenia v Latvia.
The most eye-catching of the recent appointments is Jürgen Klopp at Germany. It is a move that feels both radical and natural for the four-time World Cup winners, who are in need of a hard reset. Klopp was denied a win in his first game in charge, Cody Gakpo striking in injury time to earn a 1-1 draw for the Netherlands, who are now managed by Xavi.
Almost as intriguing is Zinedine Zidane’s return at France. Zidane has not stepped into a dugout since leaving Real Madrid for a second time five years ago, and his record there — three consecutive Champions Leagues and a couple of La Liga titles won in the age of Messi — leaves an open question about whether he is a managerial great or an elite presence whose aura instils deference and respect in a talented squad rather than a master tactician. France, who have moved on from the rigidity of Didier Deschamps, look like the best team on the planet on paper but have appeared clunkier and less cohesive than their recent tournament success would suggest. A trip to Turkey is an enlightening opening test.
Turkey, by contrast, have made no change. Vincenzo Montella has clung on despite his side finishing bottom of a relatively kind World Cup group that also included USA, Australia and Paraguay, with the Turkish federation taking a long-term view of his reign. “I could have been sacked, but the federation looked beyond: to the future,” Montella said. “When I arrived, we couldn’t qualify for the Euros, and we won the group. They didn’t judge me on those two matches, but on all my work.” Nobody is expecting a Turkey win over France, but a shock victory would certainly help his cause.
Italy and Belgium also have new men in place. Roberto Mancini returns for the Euro 2028 cycle having steered Italy to European glory at Euro 2020, while Mark van Bommel takes over Belgium. The pressure on Mancini is considerable after Italy failed to qualify for a third straight World Cup finals earlier this year. Following those historic failures, many expected the Italian federation to break with the establishment and make a bold appointment, and Mancini is viewed as the continuity candidate — a choice that has frustrated some. There is no denying his success or his passion for the job: his previous tenure produced 38 wins, 12 draws and just eight defeats. A key factor in his reappointment was his discipline within the camp and his tendency to give youth a chance.
His starting XI against Belgium will be closely watched. Mancini’s 34-man squad includes an unprecedented 10 players from outside Serie A, with more expected to follow in future, including Giovanni Leoni and Marco Palestra. Brentford’s Michael Kayode is in line to make his senior debut, while Mohamed Ali Zoma, who plays in the German second tier with Nürnberg, has also been called up.