Didier Deschamps, the manager of the French national team, and the French team’s coaching staff have faced heavy criticism since Friday night following the injuries to Désiré Doué (20-year-old midfielder/forward) and Ousmane Dembélé (28-year-old forward) during the match against Ukraine. This criticism was particularly directed at the decision regarding the second player, Ousmane Dembélé, who had already been injured a week earlier and whose availability for the match had been uncertain all week. Speaking to Téléfoot, the coach responded to the criticism.
Deschamps: “I understand, if I were in their position, I would feel the same way.”
“It’s not just the medical staff, it’s the entire French team. We’ve always had this kind of relationship with all the clubs. We are aware of the players’ situations when we receive information; some clubs provide more information than others. We have approached this with great seriousness and professionalism. I understand, if I were in their position, I would feel the same way.”
Deschamps: “There is no such thing as zero risk.”
“I’m not here to take risks. As soon as a player is on the field, there is no such thing as zero risk. Take an example: Rayan Cherki and William Saliba are injured, that’s a fact, so I don’t call them up. The protocol stipulates that they have to come in on Monday morning to have their injuries assessed; that doesn’t make sense. We have done this with great seriousness and attention to detail; we asked the players how they felt before each training session. Their feelings are very important.”
“For example: Désiré Doué asked to come off. The desire to play sometimes overrides everything else. If after 20 minutes he tells me he feels something, I’ll take him off,” Deschamps added, as reported by Le Parisien.
“Of course, it’s impossible to guarantee that there won’t be an injury. That’s part of sport, and everyone can accept that.” But there were still ways to mitigate the risks. In this case, Deschamps and his staff made a rather bold choice.
Dembélé had a muscle issue at the beginning of the summer, and another one a week before this match. He only had one full training session with the team in the days leading up to it. There were other options to consider for the second half; they could have waited a little longer and not immediately asked him to play 45 minutes. Deschamps doesn’t really offer a convincing explanation for this decision.
It’s hard for PSG not to be angry, with two injuries in one match, one of which was clearly the result of taking a risk. For Doué, it was indeed bad luck. But Deschamps can’t simply hide behind that fact to justify his choices.
