The image reflects the change of status. On the lawn of the Nandor Stadium in Budapest, Presnel Kimpembe, 25, chats with Karim Benzema and Paul Pogba. The scene stretches for long minutes before the trio is joined by Kylian Mbappé. In the other part of the field, the substitutes for the match of the day before against Hungary make a mini-opposition on reduced ground.
Three years ago in Russia, the Parisian was in the opposite camp to whip with the “hairdressers”, and certainly not to debrief the content of the match with the holders. At the time, Kimpembe was still the maestro who distilled his good musical waves within the group. From now on, it is he who sets the scores of the staff to music with some success. His start of Euro after three starts is a success even if he seemed to accuse the blow physically and to drop in the third match against Portugal.
“I find it excellent. He is very good, very hard on the man, very clean. He has a good recovery, is applied, concentrated, it even feels from afar, analyzes Pierre Mankowski, his coach with the Habs Hopes. He really needed to improve his concentration. Because there was always a moment when he relaxed a bit and he could get out of the game for a few moments. You can feel it in his allure, his looks, his way of observing. There is no relaxation. It has gained a lot on this point and can remain applied for 90 minutes. “
An element listened to and respected in the cloakroom
To summarize, the staff of the Blues considers that the PSG player has become a real defender. Let him lose his way less in guilty flourishes and tend towards more efficiency. His association with Raphaël Varane, although nascent and perfectible, is in Deschamps’ eyes the one that offers the most guarantees. This is why “Presko” has pushed Clément Lenglet back onto the substitutes’ bench since last November. ” They are complementary. Presnel gives off that something bestial. Varane is more subtle. But they’re both technically comfortable, with a first-raise ability. They don’t really know each other that much (Editor’s note: 16 games played together) ”, Recalls Laurent Bonadéi his former trainer at PSG, now assistant coach of Saudi Arabia.
Close to Coman, Rabiot and Maignan, his friends trained like him at PSG, Kimpembe has quickly become a listened to and respected element in the locker room. He is not yet a frame, but he transmits his energy and his art of combat as recently confided Lucas Hernandez who evolves near him on the field. “I know Presnel very well, he’s a very great player,” said the left side. We played together for the France Espoirs team. I appreciate him a lot on and off the pitch. He helps me a lot. He gives me advice on whether to go out or stay (Editor’s note: in place). We have a very good complementarity and I hope that it will continue like that. “
More mature, but still so hard
Arrived on tiptoe at the Blues in October 2016, the one who had to wait a year and a half before knowing his first selection, does not hesitate to discuss a lot and speak if necessary. “We talk a lot, whether it is before the match, at half-time or on the field to know who is marking and covering, explained Raphaël Varane after the victory over Germany (1-0). The more we play together, the more automatisms we have. We motivate each other, and also with the teammates in defense. “
“It doesn’t surprise me to see him as an indisputable holder,” adds Mankowski. With the Espoirs, he had already arrived small and had won. Today, it is one of the first names on the sheet. We know he’s solid and can be trusted. He’s a real warrior. We don’t want to go bother him. This inclination for combat can sometimes play tricks on him. Against Portugal, Kimpembe received a warning after an avoidable foul on Cristiano Ronaldo in the opposing field. But, overall, we are dealing with a clean defender since this is his only yellow card in 20 selections for the Blues. The experience accumulated this season with PSG alongside Marquinhos is certainly not unrelated to it. And we have not seen in the French team the player sometimes overtaken and expelled as was the case this season in Leipzig or Rennes. More mature, but still just as hard, this is the Kimpembe tricolor version.
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