Didier Deschamps revealed, this Thursday afternoon, his list of twenty-three players to face Israel and Italy, during the final days of the group stage of the League of Nations.
An absence of a mark, two returns and a surprise. Didier Deschamps revealed, this Thursday afternoon, the list of twenty-three players summoned to face Israel and Italy, respectively on Thursday November 14 (8:45 p.m.) and Sunday November 17 (8:45 p.m.), on the occasion of the two final days of the Nations League group stage. And against all expectations, Kylian Mbappé, who had already decided to skip the October gathering – which had sparked controversy, especially with his trip to Stockholm and the “affair” which resulted from it – is not there. On the other hand, Adrien Rabiot, who was not called up last month due to a lack of physical condition after having spent the summer looking for a new club, and N'Golo Kanté, injured last time, are doing so. well and truly gone.
The Lucas Chevalier surprise
Furthermore, this list includes a little surprise. This is Lucas Chevalier (23 years old), who could have claimed a first call-up in September and October. The young Lille goalkeeper, sparkling in Ligue 1 and especially in the Champions League with the Mastiffs, convinced the French coach to prefer him to Alphonse Areola as a third goalkeeper; a (good) way to prepare for the future. With Mike Maignan and Brice Samba present, however, he should not have any playing time this month.
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In defense, “DD” chose to renew the elements from last October, namely William Saliba, Ibrahima Konaté, Wesley Fofana and Dayot Upamecano – the latter had finally had to withdraw and was replaced by Loïc Badé – with regard to the central hinge, and Jules Koundé, Jonathan Clauss, Théo Hernandez and Lucas Digne for the full-backs.
Aurélien Tchouaméni absent but…
In the midfield, two small changes should be noted. Aurélien Tchouaméni, who wore the captain's armband last month in the absence of Kylian Mbappé, had to withdraw. Indeed, the Madrilenian was injured in the ankle against AC Milan last Tuesday in the Champions League. His ex-teammate at AS Monaco, Youssouf Fofana, for his part, was not called up. But to compensate for these two absences, the Blues will be able to count on Adrien Rabiot and N'Golo Kanté who return to support the regulars Eduardo Camavinga and Warren Zaire-Emery as well as Mattéo Guendouzi and Manu Koné, who showed great things during the last two gatherings.
A similar line of attack
With the absence of Kylian Mbappé, Didier Deschamps chose to recall, in attack, exactly the same players as in October. We thus find the twirling wingers Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé, the scorers Randal Kolo Muani and Marcus Thuram as well as the versatile (and creative) Michael Olise and Christopher Nkunku. So many good players, with different and complementary qualities, who should offer great options to the coach of the France team.
More information to follow
The list of Blues:
Guardians : L. Chevalier, M. Maignan, B. Samba
Defenders : J. Clauss, L. Digne, W. Fofana, T. Hernandez, I. Konaté, J. Koundé, W. Saliba, D. Upamecano
Backgrounds : E. Camavinga, M. Guendouzi, N. Kanté, M. Koné, A. Rabiot, W. Zaire-Emery
Attackers : B. Barcola, O. Dembélé, R. Colombian, C. Nkunku, M. Olise, M. Thuram
