Didier Deschamps confirmed it: Adrien Rabiot will not play the match against Croatia this Sunday in the League of Nations. Touched in the calf, the middle of OM will remain in Clairefontaine, thus avoiding a return to the Stade de France … and to the Parisian public. A situation that may relieve the player, a week after having suffered insulting banners targeting his mother and him during the classic against PSG.
Rabiot absent, the French team weakened
Rabiot's injury falls into an already electric climate. During PSG-OM, Parisian supporters had brandished violent messages against him, recalling the persistent tensions around the player. His package spares him a new psychological test, but deprives the Blues of a key element. In September, in its absence, the French team fell at home against Italy (1-2). Proof of its importance in the balance of the environment.
A puzzle for Deschamps
Without Rabiot, and already deprived of Marcus Thuram (package from the start of the rally), Deschamps must recompose his eleven. The tricolor coach relies on Tchouaméni and Camavonga, but the duo lacks complementarity in the face of a full Croatia. The tenure of Manu Koné in the middle could be a solution, but the deficit of two goals (following the 0-2 defeat in Croatia) makes the task arduous. “” Adrien brings experience and volume, his absence forces us to find other resources ”, recognized Deschamps.
A scenario complicated to reverse
The mission promises to be perilous. The Blues, lacking leadership in the middle, will have to compensate by audacity. Mbappé and Dembélé will attack, but the lack of physical presence of Rabiot in the transitions could cost expensive. Croatia, accustomed to tight battles, counts on Modric and Kovacic to lock the match. France will have to achieve a feat without two of its executives. A depth test at a more than a year from the World Cup.
