The Blues coach was very satisfied with the state of mind of his troops after the card against Gibraltar (14-0) on Saturday evening.
Special envoy to Nice
His analysis of the Blues card: “If there’s one word I never use in football, it’s certainty. I have deep convictions, yes, about talent, qualities and state of mind. Opposite they were at 10 (red card at 18e minute), but you have to appreciate every moment and every victory. These are quiet matches on the bench where we have a lot of fun. The application was there, we are not going to build on this match, but it is a step. There are records, great goals. I’m not going to look for negative points, the only one is Warren Zaire-Emery’s injury.»
14-0, a record victory: “It’s an added pleasure. We’re not going to get enough of it. To prepare for this match, we had to play well or very well. It’s good to have done things so that it was very good. The players asked me what the record was at half-time (10-0 against Azerbaijan in 1995). They far exceeded it. We should not trivialize the result, but we did everything to make this score important. It’s the ambition that is in this team too. We are seeded for the Euro (draw on December 2), the demands are high and it is good that the players take up these challenges almost every time.»
We had to be seeded in relation to our standing and in particular a world ranking which could evolve given the team in front of us (Argentina).
Didier Deschamps
What seeding status changes: “I’m not relieved, it’s another objective to avoid ending up like in 2021 with Germany, Portugal, Hungary where we had left feathers (the Blues had been eliminated in 8e final by Switzerland, Editor’s note). From the moment we were already qualified, we had to be seeded in relation to our standing and in particular a world ranking which could evolve given the team in front of us (Argentina). We can always find new goals, new motivation. But that’s not why we go to Greece to wander around. We will savor and appreciate. We must not trivialize even if everything is not perfect.»
Mbappé’s hat-trick: “Beyond what he is capable of doing, lobbing the goalkeeper (on the 3e goal), you have to dose it well… He is totally involved on the pitch but also in his role as captain too. This makes him responsible towards the group. He does it perfectly well, isted by Antoine (Griezmann). They discuss internally, in the good sense of the collective. It’s a plus for him and especially not something that weighs on him. He umes this function.»
Read alsoFrench team: Zaire-Emery, a goal, records… and an injury
The examinations ruled out a possible fracture, which is a little reuring.
Didier Deschamps
The first and the injury of Zaire-Emery: “He has had some tests done, he has a reaction or his ankle has swollen. Examinations ruled out a possible fracture. We will have to wait a little (for the diagnosis). It’s a little reuring. Over the 15 minutes (of play), I felt it as usual. It’s just as well that his injury isn’t very serious. I don’t want to judge him on 15 minutes, but he has the peace of mind to do things like he does in a club. I hope he can recover quickly in preparation for the March rally. We will have the opportunity to see him again.»
The Coman-Clauss relationship on the right: “There is complementarity between the two, they did a lot of sequences, even if we are used to having a left side (Hernandez-Mbappé) very used. Today, the game was moving more to the right. I asked Kylian (Mbappé) to get closer to the axis. They (Clauss-Coman) combined well. Kingsley can cross and eliminate, Jonathan also has very good crossing quality, even if we must not forget the quality of the opponent.»
Turnover expected in Greece: “(falsely surprised) I had forgotten this question (smile). It won’t be the same team, that’s for sure.»
Comments collected at a press conference