The Blues were particularly uninspired on Monday during their trip to Iceland. And if the French attack could take refuge behind the numerous absences with which Didier Deschamps and his staff had to deal, it was quite different for the defensive quartet.
However, if it is not Lucas Digne in his right lane, William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano in the central hinge as well as Jules Koundé, on the right side, delivered a very poor copy. And the Barça defender bears particular responsibility for the Icelandic equalizer in the second half while the Blues thought they had done the hardest part by reversing the situation after their hosts opened the score shortly before half-time.
While he was in the position of last defender in the central circle, the former Bordeaux player actually wanted to play offside to annihilate an Icelandic attack. Alas, while the French full-back stopped his run to take a few steps back, Kristian Hlynsson, covered by Dayot Upamecano, had a boulevard in front of him full axis and, perfectly served by Albert Gudmundsson, had plenty of time to adjust Mike Maignan.
Jules Koundé made his mea culpa
And Didier Deschamps did not spare his player at the end of the meeting. “We were positioned very high, poorly positioned. Maybe it was a little slack after our second goal, but that shouldn't happen to us. This is what prevents us from winning this match. We’re going to settle for this draw,” he railed at the microphone of TF1.
For his part, Jules Koundé made his mea culpa and recognized a
“bad reflex”. “I haven't seen the goal again but I have the feeling that I can do a lot better. We get pierced a little easily and then I have a bad reflex to go up and take this step forward when I should have simply stepped back, he explained on the microphone of the Chaîne L’Equipe. That's a bit like how we defend at a club, and unfortunately it's a bad reflex that costs a lot because it's a goal. »
