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Didier Deschamps: “It is very difficult on a psychological and physical level to do two competitions in summer”
The Blues coach gave clues as to the possibility or not of seeing players from the France team, including Kylian Mbappé, playing in both the Euro and the Olympic Games this summer. Rather skeptical, he doubts the feasibility of such a busy summer, after a long season and without a break period. He plans to fix things ahead of the Olympics, in Clairefontaine, “to avoid any interference”.
The Blues coach expressed reservations regarding the sequence of the two competitions for the players potentially concerned, including Kylian Mbappé.
During the announcement of the list of the France team for the friendly matches against Germany and Chile, Thursday March 14, Didier Deschamps was asked about the possibility for Kylian Mbappé to play in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games ( from July 26 to August 11) in addition to the Euro in Germany (June 14-July 14). The Blues coach expressed his reservations, without taking a clear position: “LThe element of freshness in a major competition is something essential, whether for Kylian or another player. By chaining weeks to three matches, at the end of the season, there will be fatigue.”
Didier Deschamps also spoke of the link he maintains with the coach of the French hopeful (and therefore Olympic) team, Thierry Henry, with a view to selection for the Olympics: “It’s not me who decides. If Thierry decides to take a player and the club agrees, he will be in his team. (…) I’m with Thierry, but it’s very difficult on a psychological and physical level to do two competitions in the summer, without vacation.” The door is therefore not closed, but the question clearly concerns the two coaches.
