Did you know? Before this double confrontation against Croatia in the Nations League, the last round-trip match played by the French team was this legendary dam against Ukraine, in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. Ironically, the Blues had also lost 2-0 to go, after a horrible match. They had been able to reverse the steam at the Stade de France (3-0), in what is undoubtedly the founding moment of the Didier Deschamps era.
The coach had made strong choices, changing four elements in his starting eleven. Among them, the two heroes of the match, Mamadou Sakho and Karim Benzema, propelled holders just like Yohan Cabaye and Mathieu Valbuena. The victims? Éric Abidal, Laurent Koscielny (suspended), Samir Nasri and Olivier Giroud.
Samir Nasri, a last painful
In the team on Saturday, Vincent Duluc returns to this episode and writes this: “The rumor and a few players will say that Nasri had paid his attitude between the two matches, too, and that the incomprehension with the coach, let's call it like that, go back to these days in November. »»
Holder at the first leg, also holder during the two games of the previous rally, Samir Nasri remained on the bench on the return against Ukraine at the Stade de France. He clearly paid for his attitude between the two matches, especially following the time when Didier Deschamps announced that he would not be holder for the attempt to “go up” (the word did not yet exist, of course).
In the book of our Damien Degorre and Raphaël Raymond (L'Equipe)The band in Deschamps, Released in September 2014, we can read this passage: ” Much less concentrated during the sessions that follow this interview with the coach, he jokes when it is not time to joke, speaks to Raphaël Varane when the staff gives instructions and distracted, suddenly, his young partner, gives the feeling of disinterested, in short, he does everything we can blame him for. On Sunday evening in the treatment room, Nasri laughs so hard, surrounded by Patrice Evra and Franck Ribéry, that it is Mickaël Landreau who challenges him: 'You frankly believe that it's time to laugh? It is true that we are in a super funny situation … 'An angel passes. »»
Samir Nasri on the bench at France-Ukraine in 2013.
Fracture still open with Didier Deschamps?
Samir Nasri no longer worn the jersey of the French team after this Ukraine-France in November. So he missed the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, which he did not digest. In an interview with Zack Nani, in 2023, the former OM player had told his anger about it. “The least thing was to call me. I did not play in Orleans but at Manchester City. I was holder and I was efficient. You made me miss a World Cup when I had made a furious season. I still believed it. I tell myself that he is going to take me, but when I saw the list … The World Cup was the Grail and I wanted to play it. And when I saw the players who were there, I farted even more. For two years, I had hatred. »»
There is no longer any hatred between Samir Nasri and Didier Deschamps, but the two men are still cold. In any case, they are never reconciled, and the fracture always seems open.
“Jean-Pierre Bernès (their common agent, editor's note) tried to make an appointment to rabibocate us, I did not interest me. Because you don't know if it will be sincere or not. Me, it is the terrain that interests me. I met him in Dubai, not long ago. I don't wish him harm, but all the happiness in the world. But I'm not going to say hello to him because I don't appreciate the person. »»
