Didier Deschamps, the French national team coach, held a press conference before Les Bleus’ match against Iraq on Monday evening in the second round of the World Cup (kick-off at 11 p.m., CET). He spoke strongly in response to a question about the difficulties faced by Ousmane Dembélé, the 29-year-old Paris Saint-Germain and French national team striker.
Deschamps: “You’re on his back.”
“You’re on his back, there’s a bone to pick. He had a difficult first half, like the team, because of what Senegal offered and also because we had some technical errors. Ousmane plays center forward at PSG, but that’s not the case here.
There are natural reflexes, so there are adjustments to be made, even if he was much better in the second half. He also depends on others. Senegal closed down the middle and we were far too focused on that. As soon as we were able to open things up a bit and force their full-backs to spread out, it created more space,” these comments were reported by RMC Sport.
Deschamps is annoyed, and understandably so. There’s a feeling that there’s always a search for negatives. The desire for improvement is logical, especially given the high standards required with this rather impressive group that has high ambitions. However, there’s no need to dramatize or single out certain players, especially when it’s done unfairly.
Football isn’t just about statistics, even less so when we only talk about goals and assists. Creating chances also counts, not to mention the importance of movement and defensive efforts. It’s rare that all these factors are considered in a player’s performance. And we mustn’t forget the team around him, because a player only exists within a team.
Of course, we also can’t deny that Dembélé and the French national team still need to work towards better performances. There seems to be more potential than what we’ve seen so far. But we shouldn’t single out any one player.
