Deschamps Defends Mbappé: Fitness & Distance Demands

Blues coach Didier Deschamps believes that his captain Kylian Mbappé is not “selfish” and does not expect him to do “minimum 11 km per match” for the team, he said Tuesday as part of the Sports Journalism Festival in Laval.

As part of his inaugural lesson on his dealings with the media entitled “A coach should not say that”, the former Marseille and Monaco coach responded to a journalist who judged that the star of the France team was the only one not to run in the team.

“This is already the case with the goalkeeper,” quipped DD before responding: “It’s your analysis, I consider that this is not the case, even if some can run less than others. If you want him to do at least 11 km per match, don’t get tired, he won’t do them. »

Kylian Mbappé does “a lot more high-intensity races”, added Deschamps’ deputy, Guy Stéphan, also present on the stage of the Laval theater.

“Kylian, you like him, you don’t like him, but the young people love him,” continued the coach. You have the image of a selfish, individualistic guy, and certainly an attacker must also be selfish, but I can assure you that in the functioning of the France team, he behaves like a captain. »

Aiko Tanaka

Aiko Tanaka is a combat sports journalist and general sports reporter at Archysport. A former competitive judoka who represented Japan at the Asian Games, Aiko brings firsthand athletic experience to her coverage of judo, martial arts, and Olympic sports. Beyond combat sports, Aiko covers breaking sports news, major international events, and the stories that cut across disciplines — from doping scandals to governance issues to the business side of global sport. She is passionate about elevating the profile of underrepresented sports and athletes.

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