Thursday is qualifying night. After all, this is the goal of the French team. He welcomes Ukraine to the Parc des Princes and a win would send him to the 2026 World Cup hosted in Mexico, Canada and the United States (June 11 – July 19). Ahead of this important meeting, Didier Deschamps attended a press conference on Wednesday.
Would Rayan Cherki be better off coming in than starting the match ?
DESCAMPS DIDIER. Everyone has their own analysis. Rayan has the technical ability to make a difference. He has the freedom that I give to offensive players. In modern football, you can’t lose a player when you lose the ball. So there is effort that must be made. He was able to be decisive from the start. In absolute terms, with the opponent’s fatigue, he can be more helpful by coming in but he can start the encounter.
Can this match against Ukraine be used to build ?
All matches are served. There you can qualify. There will be elements that are useful for us. But there are also absences in September, October and November that do not allow us to repeat the automatism. Mars is far away. Let’s make sure we achieve our goals first.
Is Bradley Barcola tired, exhausted as he said after the defeat against Bayern Munich on November 4?
“Barco” is fine. At the start of the year, he played very well with us, but he played less. There, the players competing in the Champions League played six matches in two weeks. He didn’t play in the last game in Lyon, he was on the bench. He’s fine, he feels good. This is an important element. Accumulation causes fatigue. Yes, Monday, Tuesday, we do recovery. But he felt fine, without any particular worries.
There is no French coach among the 36 teams in the Champions League. Do you regret it?
I regret it, yeah. French coaches are underappreciated, already in France. He is no less good than the others. Are foreign coaches more organized? No doubt. I am disappointed. There are many French coaches who have ability but are not in demand.
Why will N’Golo Kanté start this Thursday against Ukraine?
Ah, straight away! He is fine. He always smiles. He took part in a small game yesterday (Tuesday at Clairefontaine) but I wasn’t the one picking the team. He maintained his level, playing more games this season with the Asian Champions League. He has significant experience and experience for this kind of meeting.
