Didier Deschamps, coach of the French national team, spoke at a press conference about his choices for the upcoming international break. Having selected 19-year-old Désiré Doué, he said he was counting on him to prove his worth to Paris Saint-Germain. Bradley Barcola and Warren Zaïre-Emery have also been selected alongside in-form 27-year-old Ousmane Dembélé, who his coach believes can play in the center of the park.
Deschamps “ If I take Désiré (Doué), it’s not to say hello and make him happy ”
“Why Doué?
For all the good and great things he can do with his club (PSG). He’s a very young player, but it’s interesting for us. It could have been later, but I did it here. He won’t be able to take part in the Euro Espoirs either, as the Club World Cup takes priority, so it’s good that he can be here. If I take Désiré (Doué), it’s not to say hello and make him happy. Like the others, I hope he wants to play.
Will he get any playing time?
We’ll see how things go, but I’m considering him like the other players, so I’ll be able to see him in action. His position? He has his qualities, but you shouldn’t compare him. He’s 19 and he’s made a lot of progress. Let’s hope he continues to do so. After that, I’m not convinced that he’s an axial player. On the sides, yes, in the middle too. It’s up to him to confirm everything he’s done so far.
It’s a great joy to see Doué called up to Les Bleus, it’s well deserved, even if the player hasn’t yet confirmed anything at the highest level. It’s a great promise, because the player is special, he’s got all the makings of a great player, he’s unpredictable and his qualities are bound to please the coaches. We’d like to see him play for a few minutes, but we’re not sure yet, as the player can quickly find his feet and bring a little madness to the often unimaginative French team.
Deschamps “Ousmane has always had a very high level of dexterity in all his specific work”.
“Ousmane has always had a very high level of skill in all his specific work. Because of the effort he put in, he was less lucid. Now he’s closer to the goal, he’s in a more axial position, but he does a lot of switching. His confidence is high and his efficiency, if not his maximum, is very high.
Kylian Mbappé likes the left flank, but he’s an axial striker who likes to have freedom. And all my attacking players like to have freedom. It’s not fixed, because the aim is to have an attacking style that’s as dangerous as possible for the opposition. Ideally, you want to put all the players in the best position, but it’s not fixed. We also need to be as unpredictable as possible for our opponents.
There’s no reason why Dembélé shouldn’t confirm his place in the French national team. He’s confident and in great form, which is a real boon for the teams he plays for. In Blue, Dembélé is often less flamboyant, so this will be an opportunity to showcase his new status. Deschamps knows he’s lucky to have such in-form players, and of course, if you add Mbappé, who was a Parisian last year, there’s plenty of scope for a flamboyant attack.
