Three months after the final lost to Argentina in the World Cup, Didier Deschamps, extended in the meantime until 2026, returns to the scene. The coach unveils Thursday (14:00) his first group of the year 2023, necessarily different from the previous one, to receive the Netherlands on March 24 and travel to Ireland three days later.

The Blues will indeed take a facelift with the international retirement of the historic captain Hugo Lloris, his understudy in the cage Steve Mandanda and the vice-captain and defensive rock Raphael Varane, among others.

As usual, the staff has planned to meet to refine its choices, weigh the last medical reports and make final arbitrations.

For once, the position of goalkeeper should be the subject of the most intense debate.

The number one spot is already reserved for Mike Maignan (27 years, 5 caps), the AC Milan goalkeeper, finally rid of his calf injury and designated successor to Lloris. But the identity of his two partners remains to be defined.

Samba or Lafont?

Alphonse Areola, present at the World Cup as N.3, holds the rope to integrate the trio in view of his experience on the bench and his increasing playing time at West Ham, where the usual holder Lukasz Fabianski is nursing a facial injury.

© Marco BERTORELLO / AFP/Archives

The identity of the third man appears more unclear, even if two names emerge. Franck Raviot, the coach of the French goalkeepers, could give his preference to Brice Samba (28, never called) or Alban Lafont (24, called up without playing in September), whom he observed during Lens-Nantes a month ago.

Antoine Kombouaré, the coach of Nantes, bet Thursday a coin on his colt, Lafont, "not because I like him but because I see him every day in training, I see the work he does, the matches. It's a boy who applies, but there are many."

At the other end of the pitch, the attacking line will be built without Karim Benzema, the Ballon d'Or angry with Deschamps, or Ousmane Dembélé, injured. However, it will remain well stocked with Kylian Mbappé, Kingsley Coman, Randal Kolo Muani or, most certainly, Olivier Giroud. At 36, the indefatigable centre-forward of AC Milan does not intend to hang up.

Christopher Nkunku, deprived of the World Cup at the last moment, will surely have to postpone his reunion with the Blues because of a new injury, muscular, which has put him at a stop with Leipzig.

Relapse for Pogba

More certainly, the 2018 world champion Paul Pogba is forced to draw a line on the next two international meetings. The "Pioche", away from the national jersey for a year, had finally started his season with Juventus when a new injury, to the right thigh, mowed him down.

His former partner N'Golo Kanté has still not returned to competition with Chelsea, which guarantees a call-up to midfielders Adrien Rabiot, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Eduardo Camavinga, the latter can also occupy the left corridor of the defense.

© JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP/Archives

The other globalists Youssouf Fofana (Monaco), Jordan Veretout and Mattéo Guendouzi (Marseille) have less certainty before the announcement of the coach.

In defense, Deschamps will be deprived of several ammunition since Presnel Kimpembe and Lucas Hernandez are stuck in the infirmary, from which Ferland Mendy has just returned.

Put in the closet after the first match of the World Cup, the Munich Benjamin Pavard is not offside. "Of course," Deschamps is still counting on him. "Which player, at some point in his career, has not been questioned?" said the boss of the Blues this week to the daily Le Parisien.

In central defence, young nuggets hope to make their way through the thick competition. This is the case of Wesley Fofana (22), regular at Chelsea, or Jean-Clair Todibo (23), solid in Nice. "Inevitably I will be on my phone or at the cafeteria to watch (the list announcement) on TV," he said Thursday.

© 2023 AFP