After a complicated match against Israel (0-0), the France team ended the November rally on a good note by beating Italy (3-1). Who gained and lost points during this international window? RMC Sport takes stock.
They scored points
Ibrahima Konaté, as boss
Appointed captain against Italy in the absence of Kylian Mbappé and Aurélien Tchouameni, the Liverpool defender scored points in his long-distance duel with Dayot Upamecano and William Saliba. Very efficient, he was impeccable in both matches, adding to all that a good dose of leadership. He is fully in the race for a starting place in the central hinge. At the next gathering, in March, he will also have his say in the discussion for the vice-captaincy as he is influential in the locker room and his performances have been successful since the start of the school year. At this gathering, he showed all the skills of a captain. He spoke a lot before and during the matches, he looks like a potential captain in the eyes of many, behind Kylian Mbappé and N'Golo Kanté.
Lucas Digne gets thicker
In this period where Théo Hernandez is a little slack (see below), being able to rely on Lucas Digne in the left lane is real good news for Didier Deschamps. The Aston Villa player is reassuring defensively and brings offensively. His little extra is on set pieces, as we saw against Italy, with two assists on a corner (3rd) and free kick (66th) for Adrien Rabiot and a sumptuous direct free kick which brought a CSC from the Italian goalkeeper. It's not luck, the former Barcelona player is precise and particularly comfortable in the exercise. He becomes a very credible alternative to Théo Hernandez, or even more depending on the course of events this season. In any case, Digne is putting all the chances on its side to perform well. At the start of the rally, he did everything to arrive on Monday, booking an earlier flight himself. Then he weighed himself daily.
Manu Koné and Mattéo Guendouzi convincing
They confirm their good gathering in October. Very available and conquering on Sunday evening against a successful Italian midfielder, they were able to respond in a sector where there is competition, notably with Youssouf Fofana, sidelined during this international window. They scored a lot of points. The match with Fofana, who plays like them in the Italian championship, will be tough.
Adrien Rabiot took care of his return
While his start to the season at OM is considered mixed by a certain number of observers and supporters, the midfielder was excellent on Sunday evening for his first start since the Euro. Author of a double header, he showed that the criticism was quite harsh, because he only returned to competition at the end of September. Deschamps made the choice to take it and he was right.
Didier Deschamps knew how to find the answers
A return to the forefront for the French coach. We felt he was a little faltering at the start of the gathering, especially when he had to explain day after day the absence of Kylian Mbappé. He made a strong choice by not taking the Real Madrid striker. It is also to his credit for having taken Adrien Rabiot and Lucas Digne, who made the difference on Sunday evening against Italy. Since September, “DD” has kept its logic of giving playing time to everyone. His choices against the Squadra Azzurra paid off, he was able to question himself between the two matches to find solutions and allow the French team to win by two goals to snatch first place in the group of League of Nations.
More generally, the coach was very touched by the support of the 4,000 French fans at San Siro on Sunday evening. For him, what happened in Milan is a bit comparable to the victory in Parma in November 2012. For the sixth match of the Deschamps era, the Blues won 2-1 against this same selection Italian. The Blues are still in a period of construction. Without Antoine Griezmann or Olivier Giroud, two captains over the past decade, Deschamps must adapt his management.
And also…
Deschamps enjoyed the match Randal Cole Muani against Italy. Also starting Sunday evening, Christopher Nkunku, forced to keep the balls to allow the block to rise, scored points in a thankless role.
They lost points
Bradley Barcola too shy
It's not his best gathering. The PSG striker failed to be decisive. He failed to find solutions against Israel and made a timid entry against Italy. It is also the other side of the coin for all these young players who play a lot of matches, who suffer from fatigue and who must find continuity to take a step forward in their progress. Identified in Europe as a top player, he must find consistency at club and national level to string together high-level performances.
Michael Olise, victim of Mbappé's return in March?
He is not the same player as at Bayern Munich. Remaining on the bench against Italy, he lacked impact against Israel, a match where he rarely made the difference. This is the second time he has missed a rally after that of October, where he was already average. This is one of the disappointments of this gathering. Even if he has had a good start to the season with Bayern, and there is little doubt about his medium-term level, he still has to mature for the very high international level. He could thus be the victim of a return from Mbappé in March.
Théo Hernandez struggles to regain his level
For several matches, he has not been at the level he was a few months ago. And his slack with AC Milan was confirmed in the jersey of the France team. Victim of a knee problem, he gritted his teeth against Israel and his performance suffered.
Warren Zaire-Emery, a disappointing match against Israel
Against Israel, he delivered a disappointing performance, far from being the best match of his young international career (6 caps). In an advanced position in midfield, the mission that Deschamps had entrusted to him was not obvious. The midfielder remains on a good dynamic with PSG and his qualities are unanimous among the staff. He maintains credit and will continue to gain strength. Undoubtedly one of the faces we will see again in the coming years.
The French team cell
