Published on : 31/08/2021 – 16:13
Two months after the elimination of the France team against Switzerland, Didier Deschamps regain his Blues for the rest of the qualifying campaign for the World Cup in Qatar. It is up to the coach to help his group overcome the tensions.
One competition chases another. Barely two months after leaving Euro football through the back door, the France team must already look to its next deadline: the World Cup-2022 played in Qatar. To be part of this planetary meeting, the Blues must continue their almost perfect qualifying campaign and win their next home duel against Bosnia-Herzegovina, Wednesday September 1 at 8:45 p.m. (Paris time).
The Blues, at the head of their group, find in the Meinau stadium an opponent they had beaten at the end of March in Sarajevo on a single goal from Antoine Griezmann (1-0). Meanwhile, they bit the dust at the European Championship, stopped in the round of 16 by Switzerland (3-3, 5-4 tab).
Giroud dismissed
However, Didier Deschamps did not give in to the temptation of a big household. In his list, only four new faces: Aurélien Tchouaméni, Moussa Diaby, Theo Hernandez or Jordan Veretout. These newcomers mainly benefit from injuries (Lucas Hernandez, Benjamin Pavard, Adrien Rabiot …) but also from the desire of the choice of Didier Deschamps to change some elements at the margin, among the accustomed to supporting roles such as Moussa Sissoko, Wissam Ben Yedder or Clément Lenglet. The latter finally joined the group thanks to the Dayot Upamecano package.
Only strong choice: the non-selection of Olivier Giroud, pillar of the France team of the Deschamps era. He is the only 2018 world champion selectable not to have been recalled. All while he is only 5 goals behind Thierry Henry’s record in blue (51 goals) and that he is finally finding playing time in club with AC Milan, after several years of waxing the Chelsea bench.
Concomitantly, Olivier Giroud pays both the winning return to the French team of Karim Benzema at the Euro (4 goals) as well as the enmity brought to him by Kylian Mbappé. The door is probably not closed forever, but Didier Deschamps has chosen to favor the youth of the prodigy of Bondy to his aging striker.
Mbappé at the center of attention
After a friendly match against Bulgaria in early June, Olivier Giroud blasted some of his teammates by targeting a lack of collective play and too much individualism. Without being named, the PSG striker then felt targeted.
“He didn’t have to say that, that’s for sure,” Deschamps assured about Giroud in an interview with L’Équipe on August 20. “It generated little tensions over two, three days.”
If “DD” has ruled in his favor, the image of Kylian Mbappé remains quite tarnished. Still according to the Team, several executives have hardly tasted the fact that the Parisian goes to complain directly to the president of the French federation Noël Le Graët.
In addition, the news of the French superstar and his possible departure to Real Madrid vampirizes this start of the international streak. Appeared flourished in Reims on Sunday, the striker continues to leave nothing to filter, while the interest of the Madrilenians seemed to fade before the end of the transfer window Tuesday evening at midnight and the various refusals of PSG
If negotiations were to resume, the young world champion, like Jules Koundé, also courted (by Chelsea), will have to respond to requests from the France group. If the Château de Clairefontaine is equipped to organize any last-minute medical visits, it seems more complicated in Strasbourg, where the Blues are playing their first match of this international streak.
“Ideal? Obviously not, but I’m not going to fight. Kylian like others can be in a situation where they can change club, I will make sure to be conciliatory”, had recognized Didier Deschamps Thursday
Find the right dynamic
The coach has other imperatives, with his group of 23. While easing tensions, he must find the keys to breathe new life into a group that has lacked this summer. The weekend’s matches in the various European championships also revealed some physical glitches to watch out for. In addition to Upamecano, made available to Bayern on Tuesday, N’Golo Kanté, injured in an ankle with Chelsea, will be scrutinized at the start of the internship.
The physical condition of the troops and the epilogue of the transfer window, so many files that will accompany the Habs for this comeback, Wednesday evening, in a sold-out Meinau stadium. And who will almost forget that the Blues have a lot to be forgiven, after the rout of the Euro.
The coach has already warned that “the most important thing is what awaits us”: it goes through a smooth comeback, against Bosnia first, then in Ukraine on Saturday (8:45 p.m.) and against Finland on Tuesday, September 7 ( 8:45 p.m.).
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