By summoning convalescent Blues like Raphaël Varane, Didier Deschamps moved away from certain principles for the 2022 World Cup on Wednesday, assuming the choice of an enlarged list and the cohabitation between Olivier Giroud and Karim Benzema, long avoided.
"I'm not stubborn, stubborn", justified the coach to the press, after revealing his list of 25 players, including 11 reigning world champions, brought to seek a new star in Qatar.
The boss of the Blues refused, at this stage, to deprive himself of any frame, with the exception of goalkeeper Mike Maignan, hit in the calf and dismissed in favor of Steve Mandanda, 37, and Alphonse Areola.
"From the moment I put them on, they are supposed to be fit for the first game", November 22 against Australia, said Deschamps who, faced with the uncertainties, resolved to expand his list up to 25 players.
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In office for more than ten years, Deschamps knows the rules inside out: his final list will only be sent to Fifa on Monday, before 7:00 p.m.
And in the event of a serious injury, replacements are still authorized until November 21, the day before the entry into the running... Before aiming in Qatar for the record of 51 goals held by Thierry Henry, which he is on the heels of two goals, the he former Arsenal and Chelsea player sees his longevity rewarded by becoming the oldest French outfield player in history to participate in a World Cup.
Since Euro 2021, Deschamps had always left the Chambérien aside when Benzema was available, judging "difficult" for Giroud to accept, with his record of service in the blue jersey, a role of understudy without cringe.
But the performances of the tricolor "phoenix", as much as the physical concerns of Benzema, Ballon d'Or affected by pain in one thigh, ended up convincing "DD".
“Adapting is not contradicting yourself, you have to take into account the reality of the moment,” he commented.
“I have confidence in Olivier, on and off the pitch”.