Missing their star man up top, France could only manage a 0-0 draw at home against Israel on Thursday night, but Didier Deschamps was once again quick to play down any suggestion there was anything to read into around Kylian Mbappe’s absence.
Les Bleus may have underwhelmed in the French capital, but a point was enough to book their spot in the quarter-final stage of the Nations League with at least second place secured.
Deschamps as frequently underlined the decision to drop Mbappe was a one-off, and one that came after conversations with the player, but he also hinted that there was something that the two disagreed on.
Whatever the reason, Mbappe was not selected this time round, and without his superstar quality, his team-mates struggled against a side that most would fancy them to beat comfortably.
‘There is no sanction,’ Deschamps said after the game, once again being quizzed on his captain’s absence.
‘It’s a fact that he’s in a complicated situation. I’m behind him. He is going through a period that is not the happiest of his career. He wanted to come, I repeat. But I think it’s better right now for him,’ he continued.
Kylian Mbappe’s absence from the France squad has been a recurring theme in the build up to the international break
Didier Deschamps made the surprise call to drop his captain and has faced numerous questions over his decision
France were held to a 0-0 stalemate by Israel on Thursday evening in the Nations League
He added: ‘Everyone has the right to have a complicated period, there is the physical, psychological aspect.
‘There are always interpretations, whether I speak or not. I am careful to weigh my words, but I do not want to fuel debates that lead nowhere. He’s not here.’
Much as the nine England players to drop out of Lee Carsley’s side had dominated the narrative ahead of the Three Lions trip to Greece, Mbappe’s absence was the main topic of conversation around Les Bleus.
Mbappe’s form has hardly been glittering for Real Madrid of late, something which is well-documented, but he has always performed for his country, and his 48 goals in 86 games is a record difficult to ignore.
Last month he didn’t join up with the squad due to injury, deciding to focus on his recovery, though it was a call that provoked ire in France, and Mbappe instead went on a trip to Stockholm in Sweden.
In Stockholm, though, a rape investigation mentioned the Real Madrid player, after an alleged attack took place at the hotel where he was staying over the international break: he strenuously denied any involvement.
He had been linked to the incident by the Swedish media, despite no names being officially connected to the case, with the player and his legal representatives dismissing the allegation as ‘slanderous’.
It came against the backdrop of a difficult start to life at Real Madrid for Mbappe, having finally joined the Spanish giants after years of pursuit; although he has shown signs of what he can produce he is yet to fully set LaLiga alight.
Israel earned a highly creditable point after frustrating a blunt French side on Thursday night
France had 24 shots throughout the game but only eight of those were registered as on target
Mbappe has not yet set LaLiga alight with Real Madrid but is still undoubtedly France’s key star
A report emerged earlier this week that suggested the France skipper was struggling with a ‘mental problem’ that has been present ‘for several months’, according to L’Equipe.
Yet Deschamps has remained tight-lipped on just why he has chosen to plan for Thursday’s clash with Israel and the ensuing meeting with Italy without inarguably the prize piece in his impressive arsenal – and those questions are hardly likely to abate in the wake of such a blunt performance.
Without Mbappe France were wasteful in front of goal and lacked a clinical edge that has more or less made the forward the player that he is.
It speaks volumes about the attacking power of the hosts, or really their lack thereof, that Ibrahima Konate earned the man of the match award from French outlet L’Equipe, and was described as ‘one of the best strikers’ in ‘the height of boredom’.
‘He posed a constant threat in the opponent’s box – which was not the case with the true French strikers – and was also uncompromising defensively,’ the publication wrote of the Liverpool defender. ‘The problem was that not everyone had their own level of intensity.’
It was a story of inefficiency for the hosts, who had 24 efforts, but only eight on target; needing to beat Italy by two goals at the weekend to ensure top spot, L’Equipe seemingly are not optimistic: ‘But with such a level, and such inefficiency (24 shots, 8 on target), this objective seems very difficult to achieve.’
The French publication did not pull its punches in describing the inefficacies of the hosts attacking play: ‘It was the offensive animation in general that was lacking, with very disappointing performances from the three starting strikers.’
L’Equipe were also critical of France’s build-up play – ‘Les Bleus… were slow to create any real chances’ – and claimed they were indecisive in possession – ‘the French quickly confiscated the ball, but sorely lacked ideas’.
Ibrahima Konate was described as his side’s ‘best striker’ during the match but still only scored a 5/10
Bradley Barcola meanwhile was the lowest-rated player on the French side after a match ‘of rare poverty’
As a whole, France’s players averaged a 3.7/10, which is a fairly damning statistic. There were fives for Konate, Mike Maignan, Dayot Upamecano and captain N’Golo Kante, but that was about as good as it got according to L’Equipe.
Eduardo Camavinga earned a four, while Warren Zaire-Emery, Randal Kolo Muani, Joules Kounde, Theo Hernandez and Michael Olise scored threes.
Yet the notoriously strict outlet reserved the worst score of the night – a two – for Paris Saint-Germain forward Bradley Barcola, who ‘delivered a match of rare poverty’, and his manager Deschamps, whose decision to use Zaire-Emery as a No 10 ‘was a bitter failure’.
Perhaps the side had an off-night in front of their home supporters, which happens to near every team in the game; England, for example, lost 2-1 at home to Greece last month before bouncing back to a 3-0 win on Thursday night.
Yet with such a gulf in relative quality between France and Israel, Les Bleus fans will perhaps have been hoping for Deschamps’ decision to leave out Mbappe be vindicated, and be encouraged that they are more than a one-man team.
