Hero of the French victory against Scotland (4-1), Benjamin Pavard seems to have (finally) convinced Didier Deschamps…
Benjamin Pavard made his big return to Lille on Tuesday. Established in the axis of the French defense alongside Ibrahima Konaté, the Inter Milan defender delivered a sparkling performance. Whether in defense where he perfectly contained the rare Scottish attacks, but especially in attack, where the former Munich player showed off his sense of goal by scoring an improbable double with a header. A first since Zinedine Zidane…
“ I’m a pretty skillful person, last year I scored 7 goals with Bayern, which isn’t bad for a defender. Tonight I had the opportunities and I’m happy to have scored, he savored at the final whistle on TF1. I felt very good. I felt like I could score in that match. Someone told me ‘you’re going to score’ and he was right, I scored twice. » And the native of Maubeuge had another reason to be happy.
While he does not hide his little taste for the right-back position to which Didier Deschamps has essentially confined him since his debut with the French team, Benjamin Pavard seems to have finally convinced the coach to consider him as a central defender and only as a central defender. “He was solid defensively. With the bonus of the two goals, it’s great for him. In previous matches, he came as a full-back. After a while I’m not going to insist if he’s uncomfortable… Then there are people in the line, there’s competition. That will bring a little more competition”launched the former midfielder.
Remarks repeated at press conferences. “I told him at the start of the training: from the moment he is in difficulty or not confident in a right-back role, he was going to have a role in central defense. It’s a very nice evening for him, even if he knows it and I told him again: in the axis, there are people and a lot of competition. I remember his two goals but also his attitude as a central defender. »
And Didier Deschamps can turn the Pavard page on the right all the more easily since Jonathan Clauss has regained color with Olympique de Marseille and Malo Gusto confirms the hopes placed in him at Chelsea.
