He arrived eight minutes late. “A printer problem”he apologized in front of the FFF auditorium. Didier Deschamps knew that he was eagerly awaited, after the news of the absence of Kylian Mbappé had leaked just before his media appointment. The topic surrounding the team captain swept everything in its path. Like an explosion. Gone were Lucas Chevalier’s debut, the France-Israel context and Adrien Rabiot’s return. These were all relegated to the background.

Never before in the history of the French national team has a player with such an established reputation been exempted, for various reasons, from two matches. Naturally, all questions revolved around the subject of the day. “I’ve had several discussions with him, I’ve thought about it and I’ve made this decision for this particular gathering. It’s for the best. I’m not going to argue. What I can tell you is that Kylian wanted to come. It’s not a question of extra-sporting problems. It’s a one-off choice.

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In his argument, Didier Deschamps walks on eggshells, aware of the highly inflammable issue. “I know you’re going to bounce back. I’m not going to say any more for the simple reason that we have a training camp with two matches (Israel and Italy). It’s my decision, it’s better that way. I accept that decision. It’s my responsibility. Whether it’s better for the player or the French team, “DD” replied laconically: “it’s better this way.” The answers are short. Total discomfort.

” He is in a period where he is less effective “

Didier Deschamps

Asked whether he was thinking of relieving him of the captaincy, the coach did not close the door. Which is already a trend in Deschamps’ language. “Today, I’m not going to ask myself a question that’s not on the agenda. Everything in its own time.” He could have refuted this hypothesis, but he didn’t.

Eager to say nothing about his performances at Real Madrid, he dropped the armor a little on his No. 9 position: “A lot of people have spoken about that (Benzema, Henry, in recent days). He’s done it before, in Paris and with us. That’s always been the case. We’re talking about Kylian with all his qualities. He’s in a period where he’s less effective and from then on, he’s judged a lot on that. It’s logical.” Move along, there’s nothing to see. Didier Deschamps would say no more, not feeling very comfortable on the subject. One thing remains certain. Without being here, Kylian Mbappé will still be the talk of the November international sequence.