French team – Griezmann’s international retirement – “Antoine has not been downgraded”: Deschamps defends himself

Didier Deschamps could have talked about it for hours. Sometimes overcome by emotion, the coach dwelled at length on the sudden end to Antoine Griezmann’s career. However, he is not the type to dwell on, to regret, to look back. But for his “darling”, he broke the rule. Deschamps took the time to explain his version of the facts after speaking with his vice-captain.

“CIt’s not a decision made on a whim.explained the coach this Thursday on the sidelines of the disclosure of his list for the two matches against Israel and Belgium. He matured his decision like other players before him. Since he was 18, he has played professionally with very few injuries. And there, at 33 and a half years old, he asked himself a question that many players can ask themselves. There is physical fatigue and psychological fatigue.” Wear and tear, that is what would explain first and foremost Antoine Griezmann’s decision to break with the French team. The impression of having covered the issue too while Deschamps revealed that the Madrid was already thinking of stopping after the last Euro.

“I’m not going to go into detail about his decision but he was already thinking about it during the last competition.he said. It happened to players like Hugo Lloris and Raphaël Varane. There is the physical dimension with the calendars which are not going to work out but there is the psychological fatigue too. During the discussion, I had an Antoine Girezmann who came full circle.“The retirements of his best friends in Blue (Varane, Lloris, Giroud), the removal of Pogba and the downgrading of Pavard undoubtedly also motivated and nourished his thinking.

On the other hand, Deschamps refutes the idea that his loss of influence in the France team could have precipitated Griezmann’s international retirement. However, Grizou firmly believed that he was going to get the armband back in March 2023. Would he have left the ship if he had been the captain? “Antoine may have been disappointed occasionally but it didn’t even last a day, Deschamps swore. From our relationship, he knows what led me not to give him the armband. This is a significant responsibility and constraints. Knowing him very well, he doesn’t need that but tranquility, freedom, spontaneity.“

A much more nebulous explanation because Griezmann loves his country and his selection so much that Deschamps’ decision remained a real injury. Just like his last Euro which established his downgrade. Substitute in the semi-final against Spain, he was less essential to this France team and he would have had to start on the bench in the match against Italy in September if Randal Kolo Muani had not been ill. But here again, Didier Deschamps has another idea on the subject. “I made some not easy choices but, since 2014, the only big match he hasn’t started is Spain. Antoine was not downgraded. When I make this decision, it’s because it’s best for the France team. But his decision obviously goes beyond what happened in September.”

This is undoubtedly true but his downgrade, no offense to the coach, should not have pushed him to continue until 2026. At 33, Griezmann was determined to stop and his coach, even if he was counting on him for this October gathering, did not try to make him deviate from his path. “There was no point in trying to convince himcontinued Deschamps. This was not Antoine in deep thought. He had already made his decision after careful consideration. Without his decision, he would be here today.“But tomorrow, it is without him that the road of the French team will continue…