To spare Kylian Mbappé after his broken nose, Didier Deschamps replaced him with an additional midfielder against the Netherlands (0-0) on Friday. As a result, the offensive performance of the Blues was disappointing and the coach must defend himself against criticism.
Very attached to the balance of his eleven, Didier Deschamps remained true to himself against the Netherlands. Instead of starting an attacker in place of Kylian Mbappé, the coach of the France team preferred to add an additional midfielder, and thus align Adrien Rabiot on the left lane. Enough to annoy many observers after the first 0-0 of the Euro.
« Both teams got the point they wantedcommented Dutch consultant Pierre Van Hooijdonk for Voetbal. This is how the two coaches approached this match. And Deschamps… When we see this selection. Of course, Mbappé had to give up but he started Rabiot, while he can also count on Kolo Muani, Barcola and Coman. It’s crap football with such equipment available. » In his own words, the former striker expressed the feeling of many French supporters disappointed not to see Bradley Barcola bring the missing percussion in the absence of Kylian Mbappé.
Deschamps explains his choice
« Kylian is Kylian, we’re not going tocompare to othersannoyed Didier Deschamps on M6. Obviously Barcola has qualities, that’s why he’s there and he’s doing good things in training. But he was never with us. Playing a match like that is never easy, even if I hesitated a little at the end to put it in to make the difference. But I found all the players still able to respond on an athletic level. The team was rather well balanced, we were able to create danger and defend well too. Bradley has this ability, but obviously the France team is stronger when Kylian is on the pitch. » Obviously, the French coach does not regret his choice.
