Didier Deschamps announces this Thursday his list for the new gathering of the Blues. Before the two matches against Israel and Italy, the question of the presence or not of Kylian Mbappé is debated.
Will Kylian Mbappé be present for the French team's next two matches against Israel and Italy for the Nations League? Didier Deschamps formalizes his list of summons this Thursday during a press conference at 2 p.m. and there should be many questions about the situation of the captain of the Blues. Involved in an extra-sporting affair in Sweden, Mbappé is still suspected according to the Swedish press after the filing of a complaint by a young woman. If the Swedish justice system remains silent, the Frenchman indicated, via his lawyer, that he was available to the justice system to explain himself in the event of a summons.
As captain of the France team, Kylian Mbappé has obligations, particularly in relation to the press. Not sure, however, that the staff will take the risk of displaying it in the media if the Frenchman is called up. On a sporting level, the striker also seems to be in difficulty at Real Madrid. The heavy defeat against Barça during a Clasico where he was especially reported 8 times in an offside position, weighed and the new setback in the Champions League against AC Milan (1-3) on Tuesday finished plunging the Merengue club into a climate of crisis. In this context, could the coach decide to do without his star?
Didier Deschamps' latest list
Here is Didier Deschamps' list for the October gathering without Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappé.
- Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan, Brice Samba and Alphonse Areola
- Defenders: William Saliba, Ibrahima Konaté, Dayot Upamecano, Jules Koundé, Théo Hernandez, Lucas Digne, Wesley Fofana, Jonathan Clauss.
- Midfield: Youssouf Fofana, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Warren Zaire-Emery, Manu Koné, Eduardo Camavinga, Matteo Guendouzi.
- Forwards: Randal Kolo Muani, Marcus Thuram, Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola, Christopher Nkunku.
13:51 – Pavard on standby, the defender pushes for a return
A starter at Inter Milan with whom he beat Arsenal on Wednesday in the Champions League (1-0), Benjamin Pavard hopes to make his return to Blue. The former defender of Lille, Stuttgart and Bayern Munich was absent from the last two meetings, not selected by Didier Deschamps. The hero of France-Argentina 2018 has increased calls for a comeback. Will it be heard? Nothing is less certain since his more central defender profile, playing in a 3-man defense in Italy, fits less with the playing system and the profile desired by Deschamps. However, places are expensive in central defense and Jules Koundé seems to have definitively relegated the competition for the right-back position.
1:43 p.m. – Only a few minutes left before Deschamps’ announcement
The Blues coach is expected at 2 p.m. in the FFF auditorium in Paris.
1:39 p.m. – Maghnes Akliouche time?
Among the promising young shoots of French football, Maghnes Akliouche is regularly presented as a potential future Blue within Didier Deschamps' group. Could the international hopeful, who participated in the Olympics last summer with the team led by Thierry Henry, make his appearance in Blue this November? His performances in the Champions League and his technical quality make him a contender. But places are expensive and the absence of Aurélien Tchouaméni, injured, should benefit a relay profile at the heart of the game. Adrien Rabiot seems the ideal candidate when it comes time to make his return to Blue.
13:33 – Mbappé absent from the list?
While a return of Kylian Mbappé was expected, the list of Didier Deschamps, which the coach will announce this Thursday at 2 p.m. during a press conference, could ultimately not include the name of the Madrid striker, captain of the Blues. According to Le Parisien, the French star would not be called up for these last two matches of the France team in 2024, scheduled for November 14 against Israel and November 17 against Italy.
13:12 – Mbappé, Dembélé, Kolo Muani.. Blue attackers in crisis
Didier Deschamps' list will be made official at 2 p.m. this Thursday and the composition of the attack line promises to get people talking. Will Kylian Mbappé be back after his absence in September, also marked by the famous trip to Stockholm, he who is struggling to shine at Real Madrid? Ousmane Dembélé, short of efficiency with PSG still beaten on Wednesday evening in the Champions League (1-2 against Atlético Madrid), will he also be in this list and with what role to play? Finally, the case of Randal Kolo Muani raises questions. Rather good with the Blues and decisive, the former Nantes player is sidelined at PSG by Luis Enrique. The Spanish coach of the Parisian club no longer trusts him when putting together his attack line. Will Didier Deschamps therefore summon an element deprived of any playing time in his club?
12:30 – “It wasn’t a whim”, Griezmann will not come out of retirement
Decisive Wednesday evening on the lawn of the Parc des Princes by making the decisive pass on the victorious goal of Atlético de Madrid against PSG in the Champions League (1-2), Antoine Griezmann was questioned after the match and returned to his recent international retirement. “I was very proud and very surprised by all the nice messages received from supporters or people in the football world,” he commented on Canal+. I am very happy, I was very touched. I'm happy to have left a nice mark with the Blues. But I won't go back. It was not an impulse but carefully considered. It’s completely over.”
11:45 – Who to replace Tchouaméni, captain during the last rally, and forfeit?
Real Madrid formalized on Wednesday the injury to Aurélien Tchouaméni, which occurred during the Champions League match against AC Milan (1-3) on Tuesday evening. The former Bordeaux and Monegasque player is therefore out of this Blues rally, victim of a sprained left ankle. The Blues midfielder, decisive in particular during the historic quarter-final of the last World Cup against England (2-1), was in any case suspended for the first match against Israel but could have applied for a starting place against Italy on November 17. Young people are applying like the Monegasque Maghnes Akliouche with a more offensive profile but we are obviously thinking of a return from Adrien Rabiot, back in form since his debut with OM.
11:29 – Chevalier is “ready” to join the Blues
While he has just celebrated his 23rd birthday, an age which inevitably takes him away from the Espoirs, Lucas Chevalier is logically eyeing the France A team, also helped by major performances in the Champions League since the start of the season. His parade Tuesday evening against Turin's Vlahovic during Lille's draw (1-1) once again left its mark. “I think that if we want to reach the French team, that is to say perhaps the best nation in the world, we have to play this kind of competition and be efficient, he commented Tuesday evening after the meeting “So it definitely puts a spotlight on me,” he admitted before slipping: “I’m ready whatever happens, I’m not worried. I'm 23 tomorrow (Wednesday) so I'm young, I have time. If it comes, it’s magnificent.”
10:52 – Chevalier, the surprise guest on this latest 2024 list?
Will Didier Deschamps play the continuity card for this final list for 2024? The third goalkeeper position will be scrutinized. It has been occupied for several years by Alphonse Aréola but the ex-Parisian is no longer an incontestable starter in his club West Ham. On the other hand, the young goalkeeper of the French junior team, Lucas Chevalier, continues to shine with Lille in the Champions League. The Mastiff once again produced a remarkable performance on Tuesday against Juventus, largely contributing to the good point taken by the Northerners against the Italian club (1-1).
10:05 – Two crucial matches for the year 2025 for the Blues
These two matches will largely decide the Blues' spring and summer schedule for 2025 since they should allow them to reach the quarter-finals of the Nations League. Currently 2nd, the Blues are five points ahead of Belgium, 3rd, and therefore only need one point to ensure their qualification. The quarter-finals of the competition will take place in March 2025 before a final phase next summer.
09:40 – Last matches of the year in sight for the Blues, and last dilemmas for Deschamps
The list which will be made official this Thursday, November 7 at 2 p.m. by Didier Deschamps concerns the last two matches of the calendar year for the Blues, November 14 against Israel at the Stade de France and November 17 against Italy in Milan. After a disappointing Euro, the year 2024 could end on a more positive note for the France team in a year marked by the international retirement of Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud. The list of Deschamps, faced with a generational change and which must re-invigorate a dynamic, is therefore eagerly awaited this Thursday.