In recent months, Didier Deschamps sometimes seemed annoyed when journalists spoke to him about Lucas Chevalier (23 years old) and a potential selection with the France A team. But last Thursday, the Blues coach himself mentioned the subject to the press, undoubtedly tired of answering questions about the absence of Kylian Mbappé. “It’s a big step for him. He performed well last season and continues to do so on the European scene. This is to the detriment of Alphonse Areola, who is not there. Events have brought him here. He joins this group and the brotherhood of guardians. A brotherhood that DD did not want to touch for a long time. But with Areola less used at West Ham and who was feeling discomfort according to some media, he decided to give Chevalier a chance, who will be supported by Mike Maignan (AC Milan) and Brice Samba (RC Lens).
Knight is in heaven
Two experienced players who are already helping him to integrate as he explained this Monday at a press conference. The opportunity to look back on his first call-up to the Tricolores last Thursday. “I wasn’t told directly before the list, but I was made to understand that I was going to be there. I don’t like watching live shows or my interviews. These are things that don’t necessarily make me feel comfortable. So I was in my car and the vibrations of my phone made me quickly realize what was happening. It’s also quite exhausting mentally, we try to answer everyone. We must also manage our period of satisfaction and we must put our feet back on the ground, accept the change in life. I’m not shying away from my pleasure. I worked to be there. I have a fairly healthy entourage, which allowed me to overcome this with joy, but quite calmly. Then, Chevalier returned to his first steps with the A at Clairefontaine.
“It’s good that you (the journalists, editor’s note) saw that there is a little emotion. Obviously, it’s a total discovery, like everything that’s been happening for me since August. It’s a pride, a privilege. I realized this when I climbed the steps of the castle. There is something different. We are taking a new step, we are entering a new world, with prestigious teammates who are having incredible careers. We are here to enjoy, but also to stay with our feet on the ground. We are here to train well, to stay as natural as possible.” And he can count on two very experienced goalkeepers, notably Mike Maignan whom he knew in the north, to help him experience this new stage of his career as best as possible. “It’s certain that seeing Mike again made me very happy. I think it’s been three years since we’ve actually seen each other. We used to chat by FaceTime or by message. Seeing him again was already nice.”
The Maignan example
He continues: “so it will be a pleasure for me to put the gloves back on with him and it will also obviously be a little emotional. We are here for work of course. But yes, that was an example at one point. At 16-17 years old, when you are young, with a goalkeeper of this stature, your eyes are wide when you look at him. I was quite attentive to what he was doing. I was able to pick up some things from him. As we go along, we also build ourselves. But we need a little helping hand at some point. He was there at the right time. I thank him and we’ll meet again here, we said so. The story is nice.” Maignan is also one of the goalkeepers he follows closely. But Chevalier admitted that his idol was a certain Hugo Lloris. “When I was younger, I really liked Lloris. He was the rising star. I arrived too late to meet him. We can talk about an idol.”
He adds: “Today, the goalkeepers I can play against are the ones I watched in the big clubs. There is Mike (Maignan). It’s different, because there is an affinity. There is no idolatry. I don’t have any specific idols today, but I look a lot at what the great goalkeepers do. I’m not the type to say to myself, I have to do like him. The good solution is to take a little of each and everywhere and make a mix. I’m not going to do like Courtois or Oblak, but I’m taking things that they do. Not everything, because you have to create your identity as a guardian.” Ready to give everything with the Blues, Lucas Chevalier arrives with ambition, but also a lot of respect, he who is number 3 in the hierarchy for the moment.
Ambitions and respect
“I walked up the steps not even 24 hours ago. It’s good to have ambition, that’s what should fuel a top athlete. Especially when you join the French team. But here, we are clearly in a phase of adaptation, of acclimatization with the group. I have Brice Samba, very experienced, and Mike Maignan in front of me. We also owe the respect of these goalkeepers, for arriving with all the humility that I have. It’s so special for me, so strong, that I just want to enjoy it. We will see later, with my club performances. This is what will enable us to evolve at a given moment. There, we arrive quietly and we will try to integrate well, that’s all.”
He then clarified regarding his ambitions in the selection, where he dreams of imitating world champions Lloris and Barthez. “It’s way too early to talk about it. I haven’t even been here 24 hours. I’m 23 years old, I have everything to do in my career. Even though I did little things that allowed me to be here, I still have 15 years easy. It’s a dream, it’s my country, I have a culture, values that represent all that. Each time I passed a stage, I never put pressure on myself to tell myself that I have to do this or that. It just happened naturally with what I can do, with my talent, my work, the people around me. If I have to evolve, if it has to happen, it is because my work will have been well done. I don’t put any pressure on myself.”
His future at LOSC
One day becoming number 1 will perhaps require a departure from the north. “We are in a very big nation, all the players play in very big European clubs. Lille is a very big European club. But there are steps above that. It is certain that when you play in very big clubs, you play bigger bills, you are more looked at, you have more demands. It is certain that the number 1 place depends on a very good club. You have to have this lucidity.” In the meantime, he intends to bring his many qualities to the French group. “I consider myself a fairly complete, fairly modern goalkeeper. I don’t think I have any weaknesses, but areas for improvement. I still think about footwork, precision in everything that involves restarts and decision-making. This is what takes you to the very high level. Afterwards, there is everything that will be the management of space and placement. Honestly, I think it comes with experience. Scoring goals in situations where we can do better is what will nourish me. For my strengths, I consider myself to be a fairly lively goalkeeper, with good footwork. It does a lot in my ability to achieve everything I do.”
Finally, he concluded by talking about his absence during the Paris Olympics. “It’s a bit of a difficult question. I was coming back from an injury, I was in the rehabilitation phase. If I came back for the Olympics, I was going to come back during preparation. I returned to the field on July 15. We had Champions League play-offs. Like I said: if I can do everything, I do everything. We were faced with a problem, because it was either the play-offs or the France team. The president has decided, and we understand. Today, with the remarkable performance of the Blues, it inevitably leaves a slight regret. Beyond the medal, they experienced an enriching adventure for everyone. Conversely, we passed the roadblocks. I don’t want to say that I regret the situation, but we have to make choices in life. Is that what would have made me join the French team sooner? I don’t know. Above all, I think that the Champions League is a big part of why I am here.” And Lucas Chevalier intends to stay there!
