Adrien Rabiot answers questions from the press, in Clairefontaine, September 3, 2020. -
FFF
His word was eagerly awaited.
Obviously.
A little more than two years after refusing a reserve place for the 2018 World Cup, Adrien Rabiot found Clairefontaine on Monday.
"I am very happy to be here again, with the whole team," he said at a press conference on Thursday.
As soon as he arrived at the Castle, the Juventus midfielder was treated to a discussion with Didier Deschamps, just to get off to a good start.
"We discussed what happened in 2018, on this rally and on Juventus," he said.
We will not know more about the content of the discussion.
“I prefer to keep this between us.
It was a discussion between coach and player, between men, between four eyes and it's better like that, ”Rabiot evaded.
Normal.
The question was rhetorical.
Listening to the player and the coach, who answered questions on Monday, this is all a thing of the past.
Rabiot's “huge mistake,” as DD said at the time, is officially buried, with no need for apologies.
Why an apology?
The former Parisian did not even think about it.
“Nothing personal happened between the coach and me.
There is not something he took wrong, or taken against himself.
It's the same with the president of the Federation [Noël Le Graët].
It wasn't against the players present either.
It seems weird to me when I hear "he has to apologize". "
From our point of view, it wouldn't have been that weird.
Rabiot had publicly questioned Deschamps' choices and thought about himself before the France team.
The unforgiving stuff, in general.
But he must be right, since DD himself had played down all that Monday.
"I never expected or demanded an apology, official or public or anything," said the coach.
We are not going to go back.
We could say that he had made abusive remarks, he never did.
We will discuss, (…) and then afterwards we will switch to the future. ”
Deschamps plays the Grand Pardon with Adrien Rabiot via @ 20minutesSport https://t.co/nTXpxd2uNf
- 20 Minutes Sport (@ 20minutesSport) August 27, 2020
Rabiot seems to be coming back with other intentions, anyway.
He believes he has changed over the past two years.
The departure from his Parisian cocoon for a foreign championship, in a big club where he had to whip to gain his place, did him good.
"I've evolved.
As a footballer necessarily, and as a man too.
When we start from a place where we feel good, in a certain comfort, that changes us.
In two years, I have experienced a lot in my life, and not necessarily always fun to live, so that made me grow. ”
Ready to play all the middle positions
"Happy" to see the Blues crowned world champions in Russia, he now wants to settle in the group.
He assures us that he never gave up hope of coming back.
"I know that the coach does not stay fixed on this kind of thing and that he mainly looks at the performances and follows the players," he said.
Over these last few months, I had quite complicated periods, it was not justified to come back.
But we know that when we play in a big club, that we are a holder, that we have good performances, that can open the doors to us.
It boosted me. ”
So here he is back in the France team.
Against Sweden on Saturday, then Croatia on Tuesday, the coach will surely give him time to express himself.
He will do it at any position in the middle of the field.
Word.
“That too has often been misinterpreted or amplified,” he defends himself.
I was trained for a position [relay medium], that's where I feel best, I've always said it.
But this is not a refusal to evolve to other positions.
I can do it. ”
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French team: "I never expected or demanded an apology" from Rabiot, insists Deschamps
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