• William Saliba played his first minutes in the jersey of the French team on Friday, during the victory of the Blues against Côte d'Ivoire at the Stade Vélodrome (2-1). 

  • He embodies the future as a central defender thanks to his physical power and his ability to raise cleanly. 

  • But he still needs to improve on his heading game and his leaps of concentration, which can sometimes be expensive. 

The first minutes played with the French team the day after his 21st birthday, and cheers from the Vélodrome stadium with each ball touched.

The young defender William Saliba had a successful first selection on Friday evening with the Blues against Côte d'Ivoire (2-1), in a friendly match.

After being called to compensate for the package of Benjamin Pavard, the Marseillais replaced the captain, and boss of the defense, Raphaël Varane, victim of a blow, in the 60th minute.

A small flat pass with a safe foot for his goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, just to gain confidence, and the machine started.

“He knows this role well, in a similar system with Marseille.

He is a good defender in the duel, he is fast, he has a good heading game, he exudes a lot of serenity, ”explained Didier Deschamps when justifying his presence in the French team.

Exactly what the OM player showed, on loan, without an option to buy, from Arsenal on Friday evening.

Short recovery forward, meters gained with the ball, impact in duels and foolproof insurance, despite the pressure of a first selection. 

city ​​stadium

Qualities which he had already demonstrated on the side of Bondy, a town in the Paris region where Saliba was born, before refining them in Montfermeil where he followed Fabio Frasconi, one of his first coaches.

“In U13, in Bondy, he played midfield.

He even sometimes found himself in attack when the match went badly, because he was imposing in front of goal and he managed to make the difference.

When he arrived at Montfermeil, the club's technical director pushed him back into central defense.

I also knew that was his purpose, because he was so easy in this position.

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It is from this experience in the midfield, even in attack, that the one nicknamed El Duro "because I was hard on the man when we were teenagers", he confided to 20 Minutes, was able to draw this ability to play calmly from behind.

He is also the Ligue 1 defender with the most attempted and successful passes, and with the most meters gained with the ball at his feet.

“He also played a lot outside with his friends, doing 5 against 5 on citys.

It made him progress technically enormously.

I remember that we had won all our soccer tournaments the year with William.

It was something, he won all his duels 1 against 1, when he recovered the ball the game was in front of him, and he was going to score.

He was really above the lot, ”says Fabio Frasconi, 

“I gave two goals to Lazio”

The rest of his career, his move to the pros at Saint-Etienne and his record transfer to Arsenal a few months later, only confirmed this superiority.

And despite a complicated stint at Arsenal, during which he failed to win, William Saliba was able to bounce back each time.

First on loan to Nice, the second part of last season, and this season with Olympique de Marseille where he is the player most used by Jorge Sampaoli. 

With sometimes jumps in concentration, as with OM against Lazio Rome in the Europa League last fall.

He diverted a ball just before half-time to offer a first goal to Ciro Immobile, before completely missing a control at the start of the second.

And to be punished again by the Italian striker.

"During the list before Lazio, everyone told me that I was going to be on the list and that day, I gave two goals to Lazio," he confided shortly after. 

But this lucidity about his level, and some of his mistakes, is one of his other great qualities to continue to progress.

"He's very aware of when he's good and when he's not good.

He knows it, and I, and we talk a lot about it.

The lucidity he shows at his age makes it possible to pass milestones, ”says Fabio Frasconi.

Which also lists several aspects on which William Saliba can still improve: “The head game, and the small leaps of concentration”.

For a player of 1.93 m, his only goal scored as a pro, with Nice, with a header, seems a bit starving.

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  • Didier Deschamps

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