Rayan Cherki Praises France’s “Fluid” Football After Zidane’s Winning Debut in Turkey

Rayan Cherki praised France’s attacking football after Zinedine Zidane began his tenure as head coach with a victory over Turkey in Kocaeli.

The Manchester City midfielder highlighted the fluidity of France’s play in Zidane’s first match in charge, while also acknowledging that the condition of the pitch made the performance more difficult.

France arrived in Turkey with attention focused squarely on Zidane. The former Real Madrid manager had waited years for the opportunity to lead his national team, taking over after Didier Deschamps’ 14-year spell in charge.

A new era begins with a win

Zidane’s first match was always going to be closely watched, particularly because of the setting: an away Nations League fixture against Turkey rather than a low-pressure friendly.

France came through the occasion with a win, and Cherki’s post-match assessment suggested that the players had quickly connected with the new coach’s attacking ideas.

The 23-year-old described the team’s football as fluid despite difficult conditions. That observation matters because Zidane’s arrival has raised expectations that France will become more expressive in possession without losing the balance that defined the Deschamps era.

Cherki’s role under Zidane

Cherki enters this international window in strong form for Manchester City. He has been one of the Premier League’s standout performers at the start of the season, combining creative output with a growing influence between the lines.

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For Zidane, players such as Cherki offer an opportunity to shape France around more technical and interchangeable attacking profiles. The new manager’s own career was built on controlling games through quality in midfield and the final third, making Cherki a natural player to watch during this transition.

Turkey test France’s new approach

Turkey made a challenging first opponent. Playing away in Kocaeli brought an intense atmosphere, while the pitch conditions limited the tempo at which France could move the ball.

Yet France still found enough control and attacking coherence to begin Zidane’s reign with a result. Cherki’s emphasis on the team’s movement was therefore as important as the win itself: France did not simply survive a difficult away fixture, but showed early signs of a different attacking identity.

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The first step, not the final verdict

One result cannot define Zidane’s France. The larger test will be whether the team can reproduce this flow against stronger opponents and in higher-pressure matches.

But a winning debut away from home, accompanied by positive feedback from one of France’s most creative players, is an encouraging start.

For Cherki, the match also offered another chance to underline his growing importance. For Zidane, it was the first public evidence that the new France era has begun.