France coach Didier Deschamps is excited over his team’s performance after thrashing Ukraine 7-1 in an International Friendly on Wednesday.
In the match, the Ligue 1 duo of Eduardo Camavinga and Houssem Aouar turned in excellent performances.
Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud also marked his 100th appearance for the Les Bleus with a brace. He is now second on France’s all-time goal chart behind Michel Platini.
With such an array of talent at his disposal after leading Les Bleus to World Cup glory in 2018, the coach might be having a selection headache later.
This is because the world-class talents in his team have grown since then, with special emphasis on young lads like Camavinga and Aouar, who have thrown their names in the ring.
17-year-old Camavinga had a wonderful performance in his last outing against Croatia, which France won a 4-2. His performance in the UEFA Nations League encounter earned him a starting spot at the Stade de France.
The teenager then rewarded the coach with a stunning over-head strike to open the scoring against Ukraine. This showed him a glimpse of the technique, imagination, versatility, and potential the Rennes prodigy has.
With such performance, Deschamps said he is definitely in his plan, adding that he will set the youngster up for success.
He also promised to manage his game time as his club coach, Julien Stéphan, does.
On Aouar, who made his first Les Bleus cap after missing out for his debut in September due to COVID-19, got a starting shit and turned in an impressive performance.
He was effective with his playmaker role behind Giroud and Anthony Martial in an alternative 4-4-2 formation.
With such a performance, Deschamps, a world cup winner as a player, could maintain the formation that forms an attacking triangle. He said it’s a promising option that allows the team to create danger.
While noting that it was another system that was different from what was used last month, Deschamps had said he might revert to the formation as Antoine Griezmann struggles in the playmaking role in recent games.
Speaking on Giroud’s performance in the night, the coach expressed delight at Giroud’s achievement, lauding his work ethic.
Written by: Oladipupo Mojeed
