Three days after the Blues’ defeat against Germany, the OM full-back must take advantage of the turnover announced by Didier Deschamps to show off against Chile on Tuesday at the Vélodrome.
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A chance to seize. For Jonathan Clauss, the friendly match of the France team against Chile, Tuesday March 26 (at 9 p.m.), has everything of a golden opportunity. In front of a crowd at the Orange Vélodrome that he knows well, the Olympique de Marseille full-back could see his fourth start in six games since October for the selection. Enough to assert itself as an increasingly credible contender with a view to joining Didier Deschamps’ list for the Euro, which the Blues will begin against Austria on June 17 at Dusseldorf.
Benjamin Pavard repositioned in the axis since the start of the season, Didier Deschamps recalled the former Lensois in the fall pto replace Jules Koundé, who was then aligned in the central hinge with Barcelona. Since then, Clauss has delivered convincing performances in the corridor, while the Blaugrana has not always shown his advantage on the French right flank, still manhandled by the twirling Florian Wirtz during the clear defeat of the French against Germany Saturday (0-2).
An additional reason for hope for the Olympian (11 caps, 1 goal), who is still waiting to play his first major international competition at the age of 31? Not necessarily. “We must not focus on the Euro and say to ourselves that, because we are called up today, we are sure to make the Euro. My participation will happen if I perform well in Marseille above all. I try to do your best”, he tempered on Téléfoot, Sunday.
Because he knows it better than anyone, having already paid the price: a last minute surprise can always happen. Present at all the gatherings of the year 2022, the one who was at the time used as a piston in a line of five defenders had paid the price of a tactical reorganization, ultimately missing the World Cup in Qatar. A huge disillusionment for him, who took a long time before moving forward with OM.
With Deschamps, a relationship of trust
Now, he has regained the confidence of Deschamps, who did not hesitate to support him by telephone this winter, when he found himself at odds with his club. Pushed towards the exit by Gennaro Gattuso during the winter transfer window, Jonathan Clauss was relegated to the bench at the end of January. Before his attitude and his involvement were publicly criticized by Mehdi Benatia, the sports advisor of the Phocaeans.
“It’s obviously something very positive when the coach calls you to give you a few words of support. If he takes the trouble to tell me this kind of thing, I need to be even calmer and more focused on the pitch.” recently detailed the main interested party. The international tricolor has also responded positively since the appointment of Jean-Louis Gasset, by qualifying his team for the quarter-finals of the Europa League, thanks to a late goal on the Villarreal pitch (1-3). To the delight of Marseille fans who he will meet again on Tuesday against Chile, less than a week before a Classic in the championship against PSG.
“There will be a lot of local supporters. So it will be special for Jonathan and the players who wore the Marseille jersey. It’s quite positive for them”, Deschamps soberly judged at a press conference on Monday. HASbefore confirming that he would give playing time to many players – including Clauss – to preserve the organizations, just three days after Germany.
At the start of the internship, the coach estimated that“between around fifteen and around twenty” of his choices had already been made for his selection of 23 for the summer. Not necessarily one of those, Jonathan Clauss has a dream opportunity to definitively swing the coin to his side, and to establish himself as obvious less than three months before the Euro.