Didier Deschamps' explanations regarding the absence of Kylian Mbappé for the two matches against Israel and Italy do not convince everyone…
Like all the Blues called by Didier Deschamps to prepare for the two Nations League matches against Israel and Italy, Kylian Mbappé was in Paris this Monday. But while his partners from the French team had an appointment at Clairefontaine, the Bondynois spent his day with Achraf Hakimi, with a game of padel and a video game session on the menu.
Kylian Mbappé is not injured but Didier Deschamps preferred to do without his services. “ I had several discussions with him, I thought about it and I made this decision about this gathering. I think it's better like this, simply justified the double world champion. I'm not going to argue, I can tell you two things: Kylian wanted to come and it's not linked to extra-sporting problems which only come into play from the moment the presumption of innocence exists. It's a timely choice for this gathering with the two matches awaiting us. »
Didier Deschamps’ lie?
The decision of the Blues coach sparked very strong reactions, with some seeing it as an obvious sanction against his player after having wanted to ignore the previous gathering. But for someone close to the former Parisian, the truth would be quite different and the absence of Kylian Mbappé for this November gathering would not be the sole fault of Didier Deschamps, as presented by the former midfielder.
“This is an erroneous or incomplete version of the truth, a close friend of the player told L’Equipe.
It's much more complex than that. To believe that it is a decision of the coach is false. But the most important thing is that Kylian can rediscover the joy of playing football. The rest will come later. »