• Didier Deschamps has announced an expanded list of 24 players for the four Nations League matches in June against Denmark, Austria and Croatia (twice).

  • With the return of Benzema, injured and absent in March, the coach had to leave Olivier Giroud at home.

  • The message is clear: unless Mbappé or KB9 is injured by the World Cup in Qatar, the Milan striker will not be traveling to Doha in November.

A short karting tour and return to the pits for Olivier Giroud.

After having left the Ferrari Benzema in revision in March due to injury, and offered a return noticed both in the media and sportingly to the slicked back of San Siro, the Dèche decided Thursday, when the expanded announcement of the list of 24 Blues.

The four matches of the French team in the League of Nations will be without the second top scorer in the history of the Blues, who understood if it was not yet the case that he is only a variable adjustment in the eyes of the coach.

Basically, if neither Mbappé nor Benzema are farting by the 2022 World Cup, Giroud will not smell the sweetness of Doha next winter.

Deschamps may have played the easy card of “it's not me who says it, it's you”, by telling us about our “interpretations and hasty conclusions”, no one is fooled.

Place for youth

He also admitted it without saying so, bringing us back several times to his remarks in March.

Remember: “Historically, when a player loses his status in blue, and he remains in selection, it is very difficult for him to live with, if not impossible, explained DD in March.

This is not specific to Olivier, as there have been other players before him in this case.

A player who has status needs to have an important role to play.

Otherwise, it has psychological repercussions on himself and the group.

It is also because, whoever the player is, he has created affinities in the team.

“The Milan striker may have reminded his coach that we could count on him “whatever the role” that we will give him, the argument obviously did not hit the mark.

Deschamps, however, did not come empty-handed on Thursday at a press conference to answer our questions on the subject.

In addition to his speech in March - "If Giroud is here today, it's linked to the injury of Karim Benzema" - the double world champion explained his choice by his desire to give more playing time to the other attackers are Wissam Ben Yedder, Christopher Nkunku and Moussa Diaby.

“Over these four games, I want to offer the opportunity to other attacking players, who are very successful with their clubs, to harden up.

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Farewell to Titi Henry's record?

In his mind, therefore, the debate is settled, even if nothing is forbidden between now and November since, as he says, “I don't know what can happen by then”.

Except in exceptional cases, it is no longer completely crazy to think that Giroud will remain blocked in the ranking of the top scorers of the Blues three short lengths from Thierry Henry (48 vs 51), after his two new pawns against the Côte d 'Ivoire (2-1) and South Africa (5-0) in the early spring.

Romantics can break out the handkerchiefs.

Deschamps, he will remain unmoved.

The guy is not the type to get into feelings.

His plan is clear: make room for youth and possibly bet on Ben Yedder to make the count at the peak behind Mbappé and KB Nueve.

Besides, can we really blame him for leaving the Gire in the garage?

It is complicated.

If the former Montpellier player is having a great short season in Milan, WBY is in the fight with Kyky for the title of top scorer in Ligue 1 while Nkunku is in wild pig mode in the Bundesliga, where he has just been voted best player in the season.

France team: Absent, Giroud pays for Benzema's return, a great first for Kamara ... Relive the announcement of the DD list live

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French team: Karim Benzema – Olivier Giroud, towards a crossover or a new cohabitation?

  • Soccer

  • French team

  • Karim Benzema

  • Olivier Giroud

  • World Cup 2022

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