A first successful test for France and N’Golo Kanté. Before heading to Germany and officially starting Euro 2024 on June 17 against Austria, the French team had an appointment with Luxembourg as part of its first preparation meeting, this Wednesday evening in Metz. Dominant from start to finish, the Blues enforced the hierarchy by winning with a clear and flawless score of three goals to zero against the selection of the Grand Duchy. If this meeting allowed the French to strengthen their confidence, it also offered the opportunity to Didier Deschamps to test several players on the sidelines of the European tournament, including N’Golo Kanté.
No longer called up since June 2022 and a defeat for the France team against Denmark in the Nations League, the 33-year-old midfielder made his comeback with the Blues. Among the 25 French people who will compete in the European Championship, the Paris native was keen to silence criticism concerning his ability to establish himself again at the high level since his exile in Saudi Arabia, on the side of Al- Ittihad. Although absent from training for family reasons, the former Leicester and Chelsea player actually started the match in midfield to compensate for Aurélien Tchouaméni’s withdrawal. Alongside Youssouf Fofana and Antoine Griezmann, he did not take long to dispel the doubts around him.
N’Golo Kanté? More than a Swiss army knife for Didier Deschamps!
In a register of his own, N’Golo Kanté has found all his qualities. Omnipresent in the midfield, the Al-Ittihad player was very influential in recovery and shone with his ability to harass the ball carrier, all while scratching numerous balls at Luxembourg’s feet (4 recoveries) . Generous in his efforts, the 33-year-old midfielder multiplied his incessant raids and excelled through his sense of sacrifice, anticipation and his use of leather (96% of successful passes). His personal statistics naturally testify in his favor (4/4 duels won). Credited with a 6.5/10 by our Editorial team, N’Golo Kanté delivered a remarkable performance against the selection of the Grand Duchy. In short, he responded perfectly to his detractors on the field, to the delight of his coach.
Asked about the performance of his favorite, Didier Deschamps did not seem to be surprised by the latter, who has already had the merit of showing himself impressive in training over the last few days. “He played a lot of matches with a lot of technical accuracy. Compared to the climatic conditions there (in Saudi Arabia), the intensity is reduced. Since the start of the course, at each endorsement, the players prefer to have him on their team than against. NG is there. He is radiant, athletically, in everything he does. He had a year’s break. Having a full season, he is more open, he gives impetus. In his data, he is at 4400 minutes in his season, he plays every three, four days. He wasn’t on vacation.”expressed the Basque technician on the antennas of TF1. Certainly, it will take more to rally the majority to its cause. However, N’Golo Kanté proved in Metz that he was more than a recourse to his coach.
