The der of the “Dèche”. Didier Deschamps unveiled this Thursday his 70th and final list at the head of the Blues, who will try to win a third star in the United States this summer. As a reminder, the French team will play two friendly matches before leaving: the first against Ivory Coast in Nantes, on June 4, the second against Northern Ireland in Lille, four days later.
Deschamps’ men will then attack the competition in a relatively dense group made up of Senegal, Norway and Iraq. For many, this World Cup will be a first. This will notably be the case of Robin Risser, the big surprise of this selection and called up for the very first time in his career in the Blues. “This role of third goalkeeper is a specific role. But the number one criterion still remains sporting performanceinsisted Deschamps. I understand that Lucas Chevalier may be disappointed but unfortunately, he hasn’t played for several months. I reached out to him in March hoping that he would have playing time, but he didn’t get any. Robin already had the opportunity to come with us when he was with the Espoirs so he is a young man with his enthusiasm.”
Camavinga not called
Among the other “surprises” on this list, the presence of Maxence Lacroix, called up in March following the loss of William Saliba. Very interesting against Colombia, the Crystal Palace defender regained the trust of Didier Deschamps, who chose to select him. “Maxence, because of what he did with us in March, allows the whole group to have a little more confidence. » Regarding the presence of his teammate Jean-Philippe Mateta, who returned to form at the end of the season after an injury, Deschamps declared: “Mateta has a different profile from other players”.
Like Lucas Chevalier, another Blues regular loses his place at the worst time: Eduardo Camavinga. The Madrid midfielder, international since 2020, is going through a very complicated period at club. “I can imagine his disappointment… Cama is coming off a difficult season, he has played less, he has had injuries too, he is a player who came very early with us, he is still a young player but I have choices to make, there is a list structure, I have to distribute between defenders, midfielders, attackers, I understand his immense disappointment this evening…” Concerning N’Golo Kanté, DD declared not to have hesitated for a single second: “no (he did not hesitate), he is unique, the sporting criterion is still there, he is always at his best level. N’Golo is N’Golo. In the morning he has a smile, in the afternoon too, he is radiant.” “Radiant”, the Blues will have to be to hope to triumph on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New York.
