The job of coach has the advantage of leaving time between two games to breathe, enjoy his family but also let his reflection infuse before finding his players. Covid-19 requires, time Didier Deschamps had much more than he asked for since the victory of his French team on November 17, 2019 in Albania (2-0), as part of the qualifiers for a Euro 2020 postponed to 2021.
Ten months later, the coach found his players at the beginning of the week in a castle in Clairefontaine (Yvelines) transformed into a sanitary bubble preserved from any outside presence; starting with those of the journalists, reduced to exchanging with the new ones (Eduardo Camavinga and Dayot Upamecano) by videoconference.
The very young midfielder from Rennes (17 years old) and the defender from Leipzig could well show off their first blue jersey on Saturday night against Sweden in Solna for the start of the League of Nations. Tested positive for the coronavirus, the Lyonnais Houssem Aouar will have to wait for the next meeting, in October.
Matuidi on the sidelines after leaving the United States
Nine months before the European Championship, Didier Deschamps leaves the door of the Blues open more than ever. Nothing is set in stone, the return of the banished Adrien Rabiot is there to remind that the boss of the world champions does not forbid anything (with the exception of a return of Karim Benzema). Not even to leave aside a faithful soldier like Blaise Matuidi. “He is lucid enough to know that it complicates the situation compared to the France team, even if that does not mean that he will not come back anymore”, The coach said about the player’s departure for Inter Miami and US MLS.
Despite its official character, the League of Nations does not sanction, unlike the qualifiers where the right to make mistakes is prohibited. Didier Deschamps has six games between now and the end of the year to give new talents a chance, try new combinations and even dare a small tactical revolution.
“It is not by copying and pasting the World Cup that we will achieve the same result” Didier Deschamps
“I’m not convinced that by copying and pasting the World Cup, we will achieve the same result, Deschamps argued in an interview with France Football, Tuesday. The idea is both to be less predictable for the opponent while maintaining our strengths. “ Not like others. Frozen in its certainties, Spain (and its three international titles between 2008 and 2012) has for example become a predictable purring with its game of possession.
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