The aftermath of that loss on penalties to Argentina in
Qatar has been turbulent, to say the least.
Off the field, a series of scandals brought down veteran
French Football Federation president Noel Le Graet.
On the pitch, the biggest name to bow out is goalkeeper Hugo
Lloris, who retired from international duty at the age of 36 and after over a
decade as captain.
With back-up goalkeeper Steve Mandanda also quitting, AC
Milan’s Mike Maignan will take the gloves when France welcome the Netherlands
on Friday for their opening qualifier.
There was some doubt over who would become captain, with
Antoine Griezmann a contender.
Yet it was impossible to ignore Mbappe, who showed himself
to be a leader with his hat-trick in the World Cup final.
At 24, the Paris Saint-Germain forward could realistically
skipper the side for a decade.
“Kylian ticked all the boxes to have that extra
responsibility. But on the other hand, it is nothing against Antoine who has
always been an important player,” said coach Didier Deschamps.
Olivier Giroud, France’s all-time record scorer, is still
there at 36.
But Manchester United’s Raphael Varane has retired, as has
Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema, who missed the World Cup after succumbing to
injury on the eve of the tournament.
“You can’t replace people who have been there for 10 years,
you need time,” admitted Deschamps.
“The demands of the highest level can lead to fatigue,
whether that be physical or psychological.”
The luxury for him is that France’s conveyor belt of talent
seems to be never-ending.
Varane’s retirement opened the door for Chelsea prospect
Wesley Fofana to get a first call-up at 22.
He and Arsenal’s William Saliba both then pulled out
injured, and the coach turned to Jean-Clair Todibo, now excelling at Nice.
In midfield, with Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante still
struggling to recover full fitness, Deschamps has handed a deserved call-up to
Khephren Thuram.
The 21-year-old son of France legend Lilian Thuram has also
been rewarded for his outstanding form with Nice. The midfielder is the younger
brother of Borussia Monchengladbach forward Marcus, who is also in the squad.
Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga is likely to play
an increasingly important role. The same applies to Eintracht Frankfurt forward
Randal Kolo Muani.
No wonder Deschamps has extended his deal through to the
2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, with such talent at his
disposal.
France’s Euro 2024 qualifying group also features the
Republic of Ireland, Greece and Gibraltar. The top two will go through to next
year’s Finals in Germany and the French are favourites.
But Deschamps, whose team face Ireland in Dublin on Monday,
is taking nothing for granted.
“There is never any margin for error at the top level, we
are going to have to be at our best right away,” he insisted.
“We need to be focused, obsessed even, on our aim of
qualification. We must not think we have already qualified.”
The Dutch have undergone changes as well.
Midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, who has been recalled, says
he has a better feeling in the squad under Ronald Koeman than with his
predecessor Louis van Gaal.
A broken leg on loan at Roma in 2022 meant he missed the
World Cup, but he had already been dropped by van Gaal because he had not been
playing regularly for his parent club PSG.
“I’m grateful to van Gaal... but with Koeman I have a better
feeling,” said Wijnaldum, who is expected to feature with the injured Frenkie
de Jong missing the matches against France and Gibraltar.
“We can make progress with this team. There is plenty of
potential.”
The Netherlands, however, have lost five players for Friday
due to a viral infection in the squad.
Matthijs de Ligt, Sven Botman, Cody Gakpo, Joey Veerman and
Bart Verbruggen have all been sent home by Koeman, who has called up Stefan de
Vrij, Ryan Gravenberch and Kjell Scherpen.
AFP
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