Football is heading into the longest men's international break in history, and one of the most intriguing subplots involves two of the game's biggest managerial names finally taking charge of their countries.
Zinedine Zidane had long been expected to wait for the France job to open up, and now it has. Jurgen Klopp, meanwhile, judged the timing right to take over Germany. Both appointments have been rumored for years, and now fans get their first real look at how each manager handles life on the international stage.
Zidane appears to be setting an early tone. He has trimmed his squad down to just 23 players and brought a noticeably more serious atmosphere to a France setup that reportedly felt looser before his arrival.
France Football Federation president Philippe Diallo addressed the shift in comments to reporters in France.
"I think that he has very clear ideas about what he wants to do, in the way that he wants to manage this France team," Diallo said. "You have seen it. He is marking a break. A real page is turning."
With both men now settled into their new roles, this international window offers the first real opportunity to see how their approaches translate from the club game to managing a national squad.
