The Blues striker, present this week in Clairefontaine, knows the place he must take within the France team to hope to be part of Qatar.
At 35, Olivier Giroud is an experienced boy. Who knows perfectly well that his place in the France team does not only depend on his performance with AC Milan or the Blues. Summoned this week by Didier Deschamps for the matches against Austria on Thursday and Denmark on Sunday in the Nations League, the 2e top scorer in the history of the selection (48 goals in 112 caps) knows what to expect. With the absence of Karim Benzema, injured, he knocks down one of his last cards to appear on the plane to Doha and the World Cup (November 20-December 18). With the ultimate hope of landing a new star.
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Dismissed from the group after Euro 2021 in particular because of his little sentence towards Kylian Mbappé just before the competition and recalled only when the Madrid striker is absent, Giroud understood the lesson. And intends to send messages to his coach. ” I am a team playerdoes he plant on RTL. Un ‘team player’ as they say, who plays for the team, who is fully behind the group and also the attackers when he scores. When Karim scored at the Euro, I was the first to congratulate him, to jump on him. My state of mind remains unchanged, my motivation the same, my determination too. That won’t move. Afterwards, it is the coach who will decide “. A way to prove that at 35, for what will be his last World Cup, Giroud knows that the Benzema-Griezmann-Mbappé trio has passed him.
Behind the trio of stars, Giroud offers the most guarantees in the French team
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Asked about the post-Euro and the discussion he had with Didier Deschamps, Giroud said a little more to our colleagues. “ He explained to me quite simply that today there was an established hierarchy in the France team. Of course, I respect her, so I’m always here to add value to the team and do what I know how to do best to come back. Even being on the bench, I always shot in the direction of the team. I have never put the souk in a locker room, so that too is an important notion to take into account. »
With the disappointing results of the French team in June (2 defeats and 2 draws) in the League of Nations, and the very relative contribution of certain offensive elements (Ben Yedder, Diaby), Olivier Giroud remains the most credible alternative. behind the trio of stars. His CV, his experience, his profile and his place in the group are all arguments in his favor compared to his direct competitors. But on this specific point, only Didier Deschamps has the power to decide.
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