It was Didier Deschamps, much less tired of questions and more open to discussion than on Sunday, who appeared at a press conference on Monday June 6 after the draw against Croatia (1-1). However, the coach had reason to complain: his team once again conceded a goal following an alignment problem and went on to a second game without a win after the defeat against Denmark.
In the auditorium of the Poljud stadium in Split, the boss of the Blues preferred to highlight “overall positive“. “The result brings regrets, even if our end of the match was much less consistent than what we did for 80 minutes“, supported the coach of the Blues. However, the Habs struggled to create clear chances in this meeting.
Defensively, the France team has once again shown its limits in managing spaces behind its back, despite the change in tactical system. “We had problems in depth, but it can be the case with three, four or five defenders, so it’s not just the system“, defended the coach, before specifying that”these are things that can always be improved“.
Benjamin Pavard is guilty of the action that led to Andrej Kramaric’s goal. The Bayern Munich defender is however experienced, while some of his teammates have no more than ten selections for the France team. “It’s not an excuse but we were less than 200 selections in total on the starting lineup, while Hugo (Lloris) and Antoine (Griezmann) have more between them“, recalled Deschamps.
After the French coach, Zlatko Dalic, his Croatian counterpart, nevertheless recalled that despite the ten changes made between the match against Denmark and that of Monday, “Deschamps is lucky to have an incredible squad with phenomenal substitutes“A sign that despite the inexperience at international level, the Blues could have won just as well without a late game to manage”the euphoria of the stadium“, as Deschamps described it.
Our Blues are caught at the end of the match and concede a draw in Croatia.
Next Nations League match this Friday against Austria.
1-1 | #CROFRA | #ProudToBeBlues pic.twitter.com/zI6YZsvm4R
– French team (@equipedefrance) June 6, 2022
The coach highlighted the “decisive stops” of Mike Maignan and the “mastery” of Presnel Kimpembe, captain of the Blues for the first time. On the other hand, he underlined that Tchouaméni had “performed better at the march rally“, while emphasizing its “solidity” and his “consistency“. The glass half full, always.
In difficulty in this League of Nations, with one point taken out of six in two games, the Blues must react. However, for Deschamps, the two upcoming matches against Austria and again Croatia”are preparation matches, in anticipation of what awaits us at the end of the year“, namely the World Cup. The coach nevertheless specified that the Blues “play all the matches with the objective of winning them“. There are two appointments left in June to achieve this.