Another absence which will cause a lot of ink to flow: star Kylian Mbappé is still not in the list of the French team unveiled Thursday by Didier Deschamps, who does not want to give an explanation to avoid “interpretations” .
“Because I think it’s better like that,” said the coach, ensuring that his decision concerning Mbappé was not linked to “extra-sporting problems”.
“I understand that that is not enough for you,” he added to the media, who multiplied the questions on the subject without forcing the boss of the Blues to bend.
“I don’t want to get into an argument that leads to interpretations. I can’t tell you more,” insisted the technician, specifying that this absence only concerns the next two League of Nations matches against Israel, on November 14 at the Stade de France, and against Italy on the 17 in Milan. .
“I’m not going to argue,” he continued. “I can tell you two things: One, that he wanted to come, and two, that extra-sporting problems do not come into play. There is a presumption of innocence.
“DD” alludes to the revelations in the Swedish press on the opening of a rape investigation which, according to the dailies Aftonbladet and Expressen, would target the attacker after a trip to Stockholm during Israel-France (1-4).
Kylian Mbappé absent again from the Blues: Didier Deschamps explains (video)
Mbappé in crisis
The Swedish police and courts have still not indicated whether Mbappé was indeed the subject of a rape complaint.
If Mbappé had come to a pre-match press conference as often happens to the captain, there would have been no shortage of questions on this matter.
Mbappé is definitely going through a crisis. His absence from the list already in October had sparked a controversy. Spare for an injury to the left thigh, he still played with Real Madrid.
In addition, sportingly also Mbappé is in difficulty. He has only scored one goal for more than a month and he came back to back through two major losses against Barça (4-0) and AC Milan (3-1), the twice at home at the Santiago Bernabeu.
In Blue he missed his Euro and has only scored one goal in his last eight caps.
The new absence of the boss on the field has overshadowed the returns of Adrien Rabiot and N’Golo Kanté and the first call-up of Lucas Chevalier.
The Lille goalkeeper shone in the Champions League as recently as Tuesday against Juventus (1-1), where he stood up to the Turin attackers.
First for Lucas Chevalier
“It’s an important step for him,” commented Deschamps. “Last season he was already performing well, and he continues, in Ligue 1 and on the European scene. I told you at the last gathering that it was more than close.”
Eternal N.3, Alphonse Areola who did not play the last two matches with West Ham, is paying the price for this rise.
If Rabiot was not there, it is because he did not have a club in September and had only joined Olympique de Marseille too recently before the October matches.
Adrien “finds his legs”, according to DD, who also recalled N’Golo Kanté, favorite for the captain’s armband after the interim of Aurélien Tchouameni, forfeited this time.
Deschamps, who wants to test a lot of players for the 2024-2026 cycle until the World Cup, is amused by the rise in “the average age with these two players”, Rabiot and Kanté. “Youth doesn’t forbid anything, but it’s good to have experience and lived experience.”
Otherwise, the group looks a lot like the previous one, which was the first after Antoine Griezmann retired from the Blues.
“The last rally gave a lot of satisfaction,” recalled Deschamps, “we remain on three consecutive victories” against Belgium (2-0 and 2-1) and Israel (4-1).
If he wishes, despite the war in the Middle East, that France-Israel “remains a football match, without ignoring or ignoring a very tense context”, Deschamps recalls his “two objectives for this gathering”.
He wants to “distribute playing time” and “ensure our qualification for the Final 8 to be able to play for first place” against Italy. It will still be without Mbappé.
