Who will replace Rabiot? Deschamps is in doubt between these three players

Two days before the Euro 2024 quarter-final match against Portugal, doubts about the team’s eleven Didier Deschamps France coach, is represented by the sanctioned substitute Adrien Rabiot starting midfielder in each of the four games played so far by the ‘bleus’, while Eduardo Camavinga It appears as an option to replace it.

“Adrien Unfortunately, it was allowed. We need to change it. He is a good footballer. Very active, with a lot of confidence, but he will not be able to compete in Portugal. We have to find a solution,” he assumed this Wednesday Guy Stephan, assistant to Didier Deschamps, at the press conference in the German city of Paderborn, where the French team is concentrated, which then trained with all its troops.

Camavinga, only 48 minutes and instead of Rabiot

Until now Camavinga He played 48 minutes in two games, the 1-0 against Austria and the 1-1 against Poland, coming on both as a substitute Rabiot. but his performance was incredible. But now the possible moment of the player of Real Madrid appears in a match of enormous height, with the semifinals at stake, although it is not the only possibility to complete the midfield, which has been for N’Golo Kanté, Aurelien Tchouameni and Rabiot himself in the last three crashes.

The Real Madrid midfielder has been international on 19 occasions in the 30 games in which he has been called up. Deschamps, with one goal, but his starts have been reduced to ten, only three in the ten most recent games of the French team. Not at this European Championship, where he ran out of minutes in the round of 16 against Belgium.

The Griezmann option

But the decline of Rabiot, cautioned for the second time in this tournament in the round of 16 against Belgium, with the resulting match suspension, opening up a gap in that line, with a decision still pending. Deschampswho must choose how to compensate for the absence of the Juventus player: with a more natural replacement or by delay Antoine Griezmann.

“Come on He is a left-footed midfielder, he likes to occupy spaces and participate in the game. AND Anthony He is more of a last pass player, but very selfless and generous in his efforts. “He (Griezmann) has already played in that position, or at least very close to it, in the 2022 World Cup,” he said on Wednesday. Guy Stephan, Deschamps’ assistant, without revealing what will be the final decision for that position, where there is another option: Youssouf Fofana, of Monaco.

Fofana, another option

“Come on He is very active on the ball, he protects the ball very well. He has the ability to play in every area, play forward, and recover the ball. Very complete. But it is different from Fofana, with a large volume of play, that is more vertical, with the ability to recover balls and covers. He showed it in Monaco and the French team. “They are both very good players,” he reviewed this Wednesday Stephen.

If the option for the center of the field is Griezmann (He had already played there against Austria, with a subsequent 4-3-3 N’Golo Kanté and Rabiot), Ousmane Dembele He will return to the right wing, after the system change in the last match against Belgium, when the Atlético de Madrid player was formed on the right side, with the freedom to enter the middle. The remaining Paris Saint-Germain player, who started the first three games, was then a substitute.

“When we talk Griezmann We are talking about a player who has 133 international matches and until last March had 80 consecutive matches with the France team, which did not continue because he was injured (in his right ankle). We were sorry to lose him in March, especially when we lost in Germany. It has given us a lot Griezmann and it will contribute more to us”, said the French coaching staff.

The system change against Belgium was “implemented” on the eve of the match, according to Stephen. “We decided that Antoine would be more comfortable if we put him a little to the right to better use the width of the field, with Kylian on the left, where he prefers to play. But the difference is not great. They are still both players. “Someone has to change the position a little bit,” said the coach.

“That’s clear Griezmann We will not ask you the same thing Dembele, For example. But it’s the same in Portugal, when he plays Conceicao on the right, which is not the same as Bernardo Silva. Or the Netherlands is not the same when he plays Frimpong that when he does it Xavi Simons on that side. Griezmann He played on that edge, but had the freedom to go into the middle. Not every ball he touched was on the right, it was also in the middle,” argued Stephan.