Who will be the third thief? A look at the list of players selected by Didier Deschamps, just updated following the withdrawal of Eduardo Camavinga replaced by Khéphren Thuram, and it is the question that takes precedence. With the already established absence of Aurélien Tchouaméni, it is legitimate to wonder who will be the bottom point of the mid-three. It is established that Antoine Griezmann and Adrien Rabiot will start as torchbearers.
Then, Didier Deschamps will have to decide between Youssouf Fofana, Boubacar Kamara, Warren Zaire-Emery and therefore Khéphren Thuram. These 4 men represent a total of 18 selections, including 13 for Fofana alone (4 for Kamara and 1 for Thuram). Considering his recent history, it is the Monegasque who appears in pole position to take the last place in the midfield, at least for the first match of the rally, against Gibraltar on Saturday evening. Unless Didier Deschamps takes advantage of the opponent’s weakness to launch a less confirmed element at international level, and thus preserve Fofana for the trip to Greece.
Find a reliable alternative
With the French team already qualified for Euro 2024, the national coach can have fun doing tests, but that is not necessarily the style of the house. Didier Deschamps is sensitive to the hierarchy established in recent months, and Fofana seems to be leaving with a head start. With Rabiot and Griezmann present in the post, he also needs a more defensive profile to complete the midfield. What those of Fofana and Kamara correspond more to, less those of Zaire-Emery and Thuram.
That said, for these 4 men, the absences of Tchouaméni and Camavinga represent a golden chance to shine during this gathering, and to establish themselves as a reliable solution in the eyes of Didier Deschamps. This sector of the game, which we once believed to be devastated with the physical problems of N’Golo Kanté and the simple problems of Paul Pogba, has already regained vigor with the rise in power with the two elements of Real Madrid. It remains to find bench depth and the most reliable alternatives. There are 4 of them on the starting line for this November gathering.
