On May 30, Antoine Griezmann declared at a press conference about the French team’s play: ” It’s annoying to watch, but it’s a win-win. ” If the answer had made his audience of journalists laugh, it had not gone down well with Didier Deschamps, according to information gathered by the press in the following days and weeks. This Thursday, Kylian Mbappé was in turn behind the microphone, on the eve of the Nations League match between France and Italy (8:45 p.m.). And like his vice-captain a few months ago, the captain of the Blues spoke about this famous French style of play. Comments that could irritate Didier Deschamps.
While answering a question about Italy’s level of play during Euro 2024, Kylian Mbappé stepped into the breach to talk about France’s.
Italy didn’t play well? I think we didn’t play well either. » Words perhaps more in line with the terrible lack of efficiency of a French team that saw its players only score two small goals by themselves despite a journey that took them to the final of the competition. Relaunched on the subject when an interlocutor asked him if the Blues should try to re-enchant their public through beautiful play, the Real Madrid striker kicked it into touch with a small smile and a long hesitation, concluding with a ”
Maybe » repeated several times.
Mbappé reprimanded?
So many answers that have led some analysts to say that Didier Deschamps might not like his captain’s words very much. Journalist from the channel The TeamGiovanni Castaldi had the impression of reliving the scene of May 30: “
For me, there is a bit of a communication error when he answers the question from our Italian colleague and says: ‘We didn’t play well either.‘. I feel like I’m reliving the scene of Antoine Griezmann who said before (the Euro) that the French team was a boring team to watch. And in my opinion, that little phrase from Kylian Mbappé is not going to please the staff and management of the French team. »
For the observer, it is not to be excluded that a small reframing takes place. It’s true that it may seem surprising to say that Kylian Mbappé is going to be put back in his place, but we can clearly sense that in the penultimate answer he gave, when asked if there was a need to reconnect with the public through beautiful play, he said: ‘I don’t know, maybe, maybe‘. We can clearly feel that he doesn’t want to make a mistake, because he knows that the slightest mistake, even when it’s a player from the French team who makes it during the game, causes a scandal, it causes debate, because the game around the French team under Didier Deschamps causes debate. And there, he knows very well, as an expert in communication, that this little phrase will be interpreted, overinterpreted, and that it could potentially clutter up the gathering a little. »
