2023-10-14 00:18:08
Mission accomplished. The Blues will see Germany and Euro 2024. They validated their qualification this Friday evening in Amsterdam by beating Ronald Koeman’s men thanks to a double from Kylian Mbappé (1-2). Enough to rejoice their coach, Didier Deschamps, all smiles after the meeting at a press conference in the depths of the Johan Cruyff Arena.
After the lost World Cup and the retirements of Hugo Lloris and Raphaël Varane, did you expect qualification for Euro 2024 to be so easy?
DIDIER DESCHAMPS. We had to leave with a huge disappointment, with players who quit. You can add Karim Benzema, Paul (Pogba) and N’Golo (Kanté). Most were with us. They grew up quickly. We are not going to get excited but we must not trivialize it. Qualifying has never been easy. But we qualify with two days to go. I am very proud of what this group has achieved, of their state of mind, it is never easy to win here. We will be qualified and first.
Does the goal conceded, after the changes made, give you any regrets?
No, no, I have no regrets. Jonathan (Clauss) had tension in his thighs. If I hadn’t made the changes, we might have conceded the goal anyway. This goal gave them more enthusiasm but we weren’t put under too much pressure.
Do you think the captaincy gives Kylian Mbappé even more responsibilities as he likes to have?
He assumes responsibilities, without taking everything. He also distributes. It’s not just with everything you see on the ground. It suits him well, it doesn’t weigh on his shoulders. He had legs, good dispositions even if he came from a less good period, he had been affected by the death of a loved one. He is the captain, the leader, he has an important role in this group.
What are your team’s areas of progress?
We can always do better, individually, refine, by correcting, by exchanging with the players, supporting images. They play in the best clubs, they are used to the very high level. They are competitors, they did not want to wait to obtain this qualification. The hard core guarantees this state of mind with the desire to seek out everything that comes before us.
What is the next goal?
Compared to the draw, to be seeded, there are five places left since Germany will occupy one. You will have to finish among the top five and you will need more than 18 points. We must not neglect these next two matches, especially the trip to Greece which could be decisive for Greece. We must keep our standards high.
What did you think of your right side, with Jonathan Clauss and Kingsley Coman?
Kingsley is used to being with us. Jonathan had a lot of technical ease, good offensive participation. He has the right balance, he made a lot of effort, it was starting to drag, that’s why I took him out. He seeks to verticalize, to go forward. It offers a very interesting profile.
This is the fifteenth final tournament in a row. Can we trivialize this?
It’s never easy. You have to appreciate it, it’s the high level. Getting there is difficult and staying there is even more difficult.
There was a minute of silence for the events in Israel and Arras. Was this important to you?
These are difficult subjects. My thoughts go out to the families of the victims. I’m not going to be very original: it’s a message of peace throughout the world. It’s important to have these thoughts in these tragic moments.
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