Established Thursday evening during the sad France/Israel draw (0-0), Warren Zaire-Emery did not necessarily score points, little helped by a very axial offensive positioning, but stole a record of precocity from Kylian Mbappé .
Eight months after his last start for the French team against Germany, Warren Zaire-Emery was once again lined up in the starting lineup for the Blues on Thursday evening against Israel (0-0), like Bradley Barcola and Randal Kolo Muani. Like Mattéo Guendouzi last month in Belgium, Didier Deschamps gave him a very central attacking midfielder role more or less comparable to that of a number 10.
Used as a right relay player at PSG, or sometimes in a hybrid right-back/midfield role, Zaire-Emery therefore had to face a new position on Thursday against a very defensive Israel team. And that didn't necessarily go well for the young French international, who projected himself forward a lot, but touched few balls and didn't contribute much in the final third.
“False 10, false good idea”
Zaire-Emery could still have saved his evening and that of his team somewhat if he had been more sharp in front of goal in the 76th minute, on a nice delivery from Randal Kolo Muani. But his too-soft shot was pushed away by Daniel Peretz and Didier Deschamps replaced him immediately.
“I put him there because he is used to projecting himself in a club, the French coach justified himself after the match. He was not fixed, he was higher than Camavinga and Kanté but sometimes, it was Camavinga who projected himself. This is not a systematic position. Warren has the quality of being able to be impactful in the last thirty meters, through the call, the pass or the strike, even if his opportunity did not turn into a goal. »
Zaire-Emery earlier than Mbappé in Blue
“False 10, false good idea”headlines L’Equipe this morning in its interior pages. Like Le Parisien in particular, the sports daily was not impressed by the performance of Zaire-Emery (he inherited a 3/10), but above all points the finger at the choice of his coach to have used him in this role which he does not master and where he never plays in a club.
Thursday evening, however, allowed Zaire-Emery to already celebrate his 6th selection for the French team. And at 18 years and 251 days, the Parisian midfielder simply became the youngest French international to reach 6 caps, thus stealing this record of precocity from Kylian Mbappé, who was 18 years and 257 days when he played his 6th match in Blue.
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