DBasia.news – Didier Deschamps, the France coach, admits that he is not too concerned about Antoine Griezmann’s situation, and that he still includes the player’s name in the squad for the UEFA Nations League.
Deschamps has announced the 23-player roster for the two Nations League games this month. France are scheduled to host Austria on September 22, and three days later they will travel to Denmark. France currently occupies the bottom position of Group A as they only achieved 2 draws from 4 matches.
From a list of 23 players, Griezmann’s name is included in the list. Recently, reports regarding Griezmann have surfaced as he rarely gets the opportunity to appear for the full 90 minutes.
The situation occurred due to the ridiculous contract clause between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. In that clause, Atletico must pay a transfer to Barcelona if Griezmann is played for more than 30 minutes.
However, Deschamps has chosen to ignore Griezmann’s playing time. According to him, even though he didn’t get much playing time, Griezmann remained a decisive player for Altetico.
“At least he’s not tired now,” joked Deschamps in his statement to reporters on the official website of the French Football Federation (FFF).
“As you know, he is in a situation that limits his playing time. Even though he was not given much playing time, he remained an important and decisive player for his club. Isn’t that enough?”
“He is determined to do better. Now it’s about 30 minutes per game, it’s been a while since he’s played an entire game. I’m adapting to a contractual situation that concerns the club and the players.”
“My role is to let them know that I am supportive and caring, so that things go better for them when they are with us.”
Meanwhile, Karim Benzema is not in the France squad as he is recovering from an injury. Instead, Deschamps called for Olivier Giroud. Eduardo Camvinga, who has not played for the national team since 2020, has another chance,
Here is the list of 23 French players:
Goalkeepers: Areola, Lloris, Maignan
Defenders: Badiashile, Kounde, Saliba, Clauss, Ferland Mendy, Upamecano, Theo Hernandez, Pavard, Varane.
Midfielders: Camavinga, Fofana, Guendouzi, Rabiot, Tchouameni.
Forwards: Ousmane Dembele, Giroud, Kolo Muani, Griezmann, Mbappe, Nkunku.