In an interview with GQ, Didier Deschamps, the French national team coach, revealed that he had reprimanded Lucas Hernandez, the 30-year-old defender for Paris Saint-Germain and Les Bleus, for stating in March, regarding his World Cup selection, “no other team has this quality in attack.”
“The problem is that we have talented players, certainly, but they are young.”
“I’ve called him since. You shouldn’t say things like that. It’s pointless. We have potential, we have quality. The problem is that we have talented players, certainly, but they are young. Some will be playing in their first major international tournament.”
Deschamps’s reasoning is understandable; he doesn’t want his players to get carried away or attract pressure. However, there doesn’t seem to be a particular need to “calm” Hernandez down after this media outburst. Simply because there’s truth in what he’s saying. The French national team’s attacking potential is exceptional and universally acknowledged. Now, the coach must above all succeed in fully exploiting the strengths of his squad. And excuses will be difficult to make if their run is rather short.
