the clear message from Didier Deschamps to his offensive armada!
It’s a bit of a subject that comes up every time we talk about the France team in recent months. With an XXL squad on all lines, Didier Deschamps’ team can also boast of having a pretty crazy offensive line that all coaches would inevitably dream of having. And for the Blues coach, the difficulty will be to succeed in bringing together talents like Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, Michael Olise or even Rayan Cherki and Bradley Barcola without unbalancing the team and exposing themselves too much defensively.
In this sense, in an interview given to the German media KickerDidier Deschamps spoke at length about his offensive sector. If he was rave about certain players like Michael Olise or Ousmane Dembélé, the former OM coach also expects his attackers to play for the group and sometimes agree to take a turn on the bench. “Since the list was announced, no one should be disappointed. Whether the attackers play five, ten or forty-five minutes, everyone must give their all. Of course, there are also emotions. Players must perform well during the playing time allocated to them, whether they start or come on during the match. Team spirit comes firsthe first said before discussing his desire to maintain a defensive balance despite attractive profiles on the attacking front.
Didier Deschamps wants a united group
“This is the objective of every coach, and even more so of a national coach. It’s not always easy. But my goal has always been to put the opponent under pressure by using our offensive strength to score goals. When we have the ball, we are never in difficulty. Without it, on the other hand, one can be punished very quickly, even for a short time. We always want to hurt our opponent. (…) Their quality is very high. But the players know perfectly well that it is in their interest to perform well. They have demands on themselves, just as I have on them. What if I’m afraid they’ll get a big head? Absolutely not. It’s not really in the nature of French athletes. Every time we think we are too strong, things go wrong. We must always approach things with the necessary humility. » In the process, Didier Deschamps spoke about the emergence of Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembélé, recent winner of the Champions League with PSG.
“Michael Olise plays a very important role. He has proven himself with us, even if his first four or five appearances were a bit complicated. Thanks to his performances at Bayern Munich and the French team, he has gained confidence. He is an essential player who brings cohesion and strongly influences our offensive play, because he can play in several positions and adapt to different partners. Olise is impressive. He exudes incredible ease. With him, everything seems simple thanks to a technique well above average and his ability to create danger with his left foot. He must now continue this momentum. And for Ousmane Dembélé, he deserves a lot of credit for what he has accomplished, especially after going through several physical problems. He is one of all these European finalists (six finalists in the Champions League and three in the Europa League) that we must integrate into our preparation. When Ousmane is at his best, he is a decisive player. Even more so when we look at the rest of our squad. I would like to work more on collective automatisms, but unfortunately we don’t have as much time as in the club. » Finally, DD also mentioned the case of Kylian Mbappé who remained at a complicated end of the season with Real Madrid. But for him, don’t worry, the Frenchman will be in good shape for the World Cup. “His efficiency was excellent. As with other players, he is easy to motivate. When you are a professional footballer, there is nothing more important than participating in a World Cup. Of course, as captain, he will be fully involved in serving as the spokesperson for the team. » The message got through.
