France-Denmark (2-1): "I had a lot of fun", Raphaël Varane savors his return

The boss is back!

Remained a month without playing after his hamstring injury, on October 22, Raphaël Varane was solid for his first tenure in this World Cup.

Associated with a very good Dayot Upamecano in the axis of the defense, he was one of the pillars of the tricolor team which, thanks to its victory against Denmark (2-1) on Saturday, ensured the qualification for the quarter-finals.

The goal is reached…

RAPHAEL VARANE.

Yes, goal achieved!

We were keen to win this game after losing twice against this team.

We managed to put into practice what we had said to each other before the match: to have this will to win, this group spirit and to be solid together.

We know that then we have quality players who can make the difference, who can be decisive and hurt the opponent.

We conceded very few chances, we created quite a few.

There are a lot of satisfactions.

We will be able to rely on this kind of match for the rest of the competition.

What do you think of the new role of Antoine Griezmann who has again signed a big performance?

It's not particularly a new role.

He covers a lot of space on the pitch, he has a large volume of play, he has this ability to defend and get others to play.

It's not new.

He is the Antoine we know, the Antoine who is in good shape, we hope he will continue like this.

We managed another good performance by putting the front players in good shape.

What were your feelings for this return?

I'm very happy to be here, I worked a lot, I had a lot of fun.

A World Cup is always special, playing for your country, I take advantage of every moment and I'm there to help my teammates, help the team and give the best to try to go as far as possible.

Do you think you should continue against Tunisia?

You are smart (laughs)!

The most important thing is the team, then we will have discussions with the coach.

We'll see what's best, but first the group.

With the coach, we talk daily.

He knows exactly where I am physically and in what state of mind I am.

On the field, he asked me how I was doing.

I told him it was okay and he made his decision (to release him).

I'm here to help the team and the group, there's no problem.

« « Dayot is demonstrating all his qualities, showing that he has passed the course » »

Raphael Varane

How will you approach the game against Tunisia?

Calmly because we are qualified and we have a very good chance of finishing first.

The coach will make the decisions in relation to his starting lineup and the playing time. We will of course try to win, but without this pressure.

Should other players be involved for this meeting?

Sure !

We need everyone, it's a state of mind, it's a group.

For the moment, things are going very well and the fact of including as many players as possible is necessarily something very positive.

It will be up to the coach to make his decisions but it's very good to have this peace of mind in the third game.

Read alsoFrance-Denmark (2-1): the notes of the Blues

How did you find Dayot Upamecano who once again delivered a very good game?

Very very good.

He is a player who has a lot of qualities, he lacked a bit of this confidence compared to the France group.

He is in the process of demonstrating all of his qualities, of showing that he has passed the course.

We feel that he expresses himself and begins to really blossom.

He did a very, very good performance.

I spoke a lot with him so that we could begin to fine-tune the automation and it went very well.

Me, I try to put him in the best possible conditions so that he can be efficient.

It's the same with the other two youngsters who play in defence, there's a lot of quality.

I have a little more experience, I try to give them confidence, to guide them and then they have the talent.

In my position, there are a lot of talents, it's great for the future of the France team.

It's also not bad to have Kylian Mbappé, isn't it?

It helps (smiles).

He is a very talented player who makes a difference.

We said to ourselves before the match that we had to be solid collectively, have this desire to win, to then put the players in front in the best possible position so that they could make the difference.

It's a collective work, after that it's always the talent that makes the difference.