The ten lessons of Deschamps' last list

The manager has delivered a list of 26 names for the three playoffs for the 2022 World Cup looming in March-April

Didier Deschamps, March 18, 2021 at the headquarters of the FFF.

FRANCK FIFE / AFP

It's not yet the tension of May, the spontaneous outbursts of joy in front of his TV or the unfathomable disappointments of not seeing his name on the list of 23, but it still felt like business serious resumes on Boulevard de Grenelle, when Didier Deschamps gave his list of 26 (

because

Covid-19) for the three games against Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Bosnia.

Lemar, Dembélé and Ndombélé come back from afar in particular.

20 Minutes covers

what to remember.

It's going to be hot for Fekir and Nzonzi

Among the world champions who could have been and who are not there despite a list of 26 names and a few possible contenders officially left at the disposal of the hopes, Nabil Fekir and Steven Nzonzi clearly have to worry about.

Blame it on an anonymous season in a second-zone European club for both, even if it was long thought that DD had a secret weakness for Nabilon's swaying dribbles.

Even if obviously "no one is condemned, and it is better to be on the May list than in March".

Dembélé can rest easy if he doesn't hurt himself

Two years that he had not set foot in the France team, but Ousmane Dembélé remains a special profile in the minds of the staff.

Three months on his feet with his qualities and his faults (big capacity of elimination, questionable finish) will have been enough for him to be recalled: "He goes on matches, he has regained his athletic abilities with always this ability to make differences even if" it could become more efficient.

He has regained the level he had ”.

If no injury by June, Ousmane will.

Not dead yet for Aouar and Camavinga

Retained at the beginning of the week by Sylvain Ripoll for the group phase of this baroque Euro hope, Camavinga, Aouar or Jules Koundé, the new

Andalusian

hype

, have not necessarily lost all chance of getting on the loco for the Euro, if DD is to be believed: “You know that I often talk to Sylvain.

I made the decision to leave all the players in the hopeful category to him for this final phase.

Obviously with the technical staff we will follow them all carefully.

There are still two months when, of course, the France A team will once again have priority ”.

Strange, while Deschamps, since the time he is in the place, has always argued that the "big" team of France had priority no matter what.

But he could also have said that the two were going through a delicate winter and that they had no place with the grown-ups anyway.

There is therefore a small mouse hole for the Rennais, in theory, since the Lyonnais had packed no one in the fall for a position that is not his.

Ferland Mendy is not a plan B

We can dislodge Marcelo in Madrid and survey the field in the most improbable places with Zidane without having an immediate future in the France team.

If Ferland Mendy is well on the list of the moment, it is mainly because DD has taken a 9th defender in case in these times of Covid-19.

He himself confessed it to us half-heartedly: "He does not go after everyone, it is true that he plays in a club where the media aspect is very important, to the detriment of a Lucas Digne who was very good with us and who may have been forgotten at one point due to his less media exposure, perhaps by me at one point as well.

Ferland can cover both positions, although I see him as a left-back first and foremost, but there is competition.

No regrets for Adbou Diallo

"I have never blocked a player to prevent him from playing for a country, and in the other direction, I respect the choice of the players".

Deschamps was consistent with his usual speech concerning the choice of Abdou Diallo, former captain of the Espoirs, to represent another country in the A (Senegal).

Too bad for him, next.

Sissoko, the indestructible

We didn't even mention his case for a second, as we wouldn't have thought about it if his name hadn't been taken out of the hat.

But now, Sissoko is one of the sure guys from DD, he counts for Mourinho at Tottenham, and he will never be far from the

final

cut

, including for the competition that interests us in June.

Benzema, no one believes it anymore

The last colleague to have risked asking the question on the subject had taken a volley of green wood in return in the fall.

To one day see the fifth top scorer in the history of C1 regaling with Mbappé, we will have to hope that Florentino Perez empties his life insurance next summer.

Lenglet to go to Euro despite cataclysmic season

The former Sevillian has been playing balls since the fall in Catalonia, he costs his team a penalty per game, but the Blues staff will not let go in the open.

First because Deschamps has no

feeling

with Laporte, who in addition does not play much at City, and then because Umtiti returned to the bottom of Barça's bench after a small break in February.

Next

Tolisso will be too fair for the Euro

At the turn of an innocuous answer on the time left before the real list of May, Deschamps confirmed what we feared for Tolisso, namely that it would be "very complicated" in the Bavarian community to recover in time for the Euro.

This offers a boulevard to Ndombélé, if he does not get angry with the Spurs' Salazar by then.

DD will not make us a Galthié

We could obviously not end this press conference without worrying about the conditions of the health bubble which will have to protect the Blues during their journey in Kazakhstan then in Bosnia after the reception of Ukraine, after the masquerade of Marcoussis.

Response from the coach, without a smile: “from the moment when everyone is gathered, the people who are in this bubble, no one leaves it, and no one returns.

It is not especially on the orders of the ministry, it is the UEFA protocol which is strict and which is no less so than in November ”.

We want to believe it a little more this time.

Sport

France team: Dembele, Ndombele and Lemar recalled by Deschamps for the start of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup