It sometimes happens that the stars are not well aligned, even for Didier Deschamps. The coach of the France team has to face many problems when going to face Austria on Friday (8:45 p.m.) in the League of Nations. After a defeat against Denmark and a draw in Croatia, the coach of the Blues must find solutions: two players in need of training (Kylian Mbappé and N’Golo Kanté), a game system that is not convincing enough and an Austrian lawn whose status queries.
But Didier Deschamps also has assets that can allow him not to panic, such as being able to call on the usual starters this Friday, put to rest in Split against Croatia. The coach took the opportunity to give playing time to players with little cap or novices, like Ibrahima Konaté, allowing him to experiment for the next World Cup in Qatar in six months.
Only one point out of the six possible
It will nevertheless be necessary to restart the machine to win without further delay against Austria. The Blues have only picked up one point out of a possible six in two games. If Didier Deschamps recognized that France “is not placed in the best disposition” in his League of Nations group, he nevertheless insisted on the fact that it is above all a question of “preparation matches” in anticipation of the World Cup at the end of the year, “hence the interest of having different players, different systems, which must bring more answers“. It remains to be seen whether the coach will manage to put aside his winning identity to continue his squad review and test his tactical devices.
Only two world champions were lined up in Split on Monday (Benjamin Pavard and Presnel Kimpembe) and there is a good chance that Didier Deschamps will try to reconcile these two logics. Playing in a defensive curtain at three or in a rear base at four – the two possible options for the Blues – Konaté knows how to do it. The newcomer to the France team, called in as reinforcements after Raphaël Varane’s withdrawal, evolved in the first system in Leipzig, before adapting to the second since his arrival in Liverpool at the start of the season.
Doubts about the presence of Mbappé
In a packed Ernst-Happel stadium, with a maximum of 44,800 spectators expected, the 23-year-old central defender would like to treat himself to the first thrills of a Marseillaise with the A jersey on his back, alongside French stars Hugo Lloris, Antoine Griezmann and Karim Benzema, expected in the starting “eleven”. The unfortunate Champions League finalist is applying for a start, while William Saliba has already played half-time in Saint-Denis and then a match in Split.
In the middle, Aurélien Tchouaméni is the only Frenchman to have chained two matches, which gives hope to Boubacar Kamara, Mattéo Guendouzi and Adrien Rabiot, since Kanté is not in top form. In attack, there is a doubt about the presence of Kylian Mbappé, exempt from collective training since his injury exit against Denmark.
The Austrian lawn in poor condition
The risk of injury, precisely, can trot in the head of the Austrian and French internationals, at the end of an interminable season and on a lawn which has been talked about a lot in recent hours. The appearance of a deep hole of minus 30 centimeters in the middle of the field on Monday at the end of Austria-Denmark, probably caused by heavy rains, cast a veil of uncertainty over the meeting. UEFA finally gave the green light on Wednesday evening, after examining the lawn and crisis meeting. The Blues no longer have a choice: they will have to win Friday in Vienna, which their predecessors have not managed to do since 1993.