For once, Didier Deschamps did not appear before the media on Monday, October 7, as he usually does at the start of each rally of the French teams in Clairefontaine (Yvelines). His planned presence at a press conference on Wednesday, on the eve of the match against Israel, was more than enough for the coach, who contented himself with a video interview published on the FFFTV channel, that of his employer, the French Football Federation. (FFF).
Among the topics discussed, Deschamps returned to the case of Kylian Mbappé, who was not called up for the ‘bleus’ next two games, for the first time since 2019. The blame lies with an injury to his left thigh. “He has a problem that is not serious, but requires treatment to recover properly. “I’m not here to take risks.”Deschamps announced when announcing his list on Thursday.
This physical problem did not, however, prevent the Bondynois from playing, two days later, seventy minutes with Real Madrid against Villarreal, during a Spanish championship match. Although he did not score, the captain of the French team looked in good form. Enough, a priori, to play the national team’s matches. “The most important thing is the interest of the player”Deschamps tried to explain in the video published by FFFTV.
“The businessman is the club”
“We must not forget that the businessman is the club (…). I know very well that he is not going to go against his club, nor does he want to go against the national team. But, after discussions, we must ensure that we prioritize the interests of the player without putting him in difficulties.”Deschamps declares in this interview, in which he also specifies that “The interests of clubs and national teams, at some point, necessarily diverge.”
Before the decision was made not to call up Mbappé, the medical staff of Real Madrid and the French team did discuss the player’s availability, especially after the forty minutes played by the former Parisian in Lille, in the League. Champions, on Wednesday, just eight. days after his injury. The Madrid native himself spoke with his coach about his current physical form.
In this video, however, Deschamps does not indicate whether he knew that Real Madrid would play Bondynois on Saturday. A clarification that is important, since the Basque has recalled many times that a player capable of playing a club match is also, therefore, capable of playing for the French team. Without a doubt, the coach will have to answer this question during the press conference scheduled for Wednesday, on the eve of the match against Israel, in Budapest (Hungary), corresponding to the Nations League.
