Lionel Messi, the virus, the approach to the final … The winger of the Blues lent himself to the game of the press conference this Friday, two days from Argentina-France.
Special Envoys in Doha
Lionel Messi : “I spent four great years with him, he is an extraordinary player, one of the players who made me love Barca with Andres Iniesta. I’m very happy to have had him as a teammate. He is very simple, calm, he helps the young people enormously. He brought me a lot. Difficult to counter Lionel Messi but we have to make sure that he touches the fewest balls because he is very dangerous. (…) I arrived at 20 years old, I liked to dribble on my own. He told me to be calmer, that there are times to dribble, others to pass… (…) Deprive Messi of a coronation? We are the France team, in the World Cup final, we fight for our country, our team, our journey. All players, all French people want to win, to be proud to have a third star for us. With his great career, it would be nice if he won a World Cup, but we want it too.»
Role with the Blues, pleasure in the game : “I feel good since the start of the World Cup, I’m happy. Both, I take pleasure in the field, to help Jules (Koundé) and Antoine (Griezmann). Every time someone makes a tackle or recovers a ball, we encourage each other. I feel important in the team. I can do even better, in the offensive aspect, but the team is more important. Whenever I help, I think of the team rather than my personal statistics. Afterwards, it is true that I am missing a small goal.»
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The alleged wickedness of the Argentines on the pitch : “No, I don’t think they’re doing it out of spite. You have to be aggressive and be responsive. We hope to counter them, to have a good match. It’s a good poster and I hope it will be a good final.»
The virus ? There is no worry, we just take precautions.
Ousmane Dembele
Virus tends the atmosphere : “No, we are not afraid of the virus, Dayot (Upamecano) and Adrien (Rabiot) had a stomach ache. We made them a little tea, with ginger and honey, we hope they will get better. It does not worry the players or the staff. Dayot was much better after a day, I saw him in his room with the mask on, we just took precautions. But there is no worry.»
His mentality in 2022 : “When you go from substitute (in 2018) to holder, we talk more about you. As I said before the World Cup, I wanted to be a protagonist of this competition. But don’t worry, I still set the mood in the group (smile).»
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Complementarity with Antoine Griezmann on the right : “We can add Jules, we talk about defensive placement. We communicate a lot. This position suits Antoine very well. We often said he would be very good in 6 for 8 when we were in Barcelona…»
His take on Julian Alvarez: “He is a very good striker, a lot of runs, brings a lot, relieves with his calls, his runs, frees up space for Lionel Messi and the others. He is already at four goals but I hope Sunday he is not going to be on fire.»
In 2018, there were more crazies on this team.
Ousmane Dembele
How to approach a final : “There is more calm and experience after 2018. We want to prepare well for this final, it will be a great day. Any team is mentally ready. They are better than in 2018. We are preparing quietly, calmly to give everything.»
The differences between 2022 and 2018 : “We were a little more euphoric in 2018, there is more calm, more experience. Much more experience than in 2018 and calm. In 2018, there were more crazies on this team. It is not comparable.»
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No ball exchanged with Kylian Mbappé and Olivier Giroud in half, the limits of his role : “I didn’t know about the balls… But we suffered a lot, especially after the first goal and the start of the second. I don’t feel limited by the guidelines. The coach asks me to step aside and take it one on one, that’s what I try to do.»
Karim Benzema back in the group : “I am not a coach, I do not make the decision. I believe he is injured.(Didier Deschamps has already spoken on this subject and does not intend to call Benzema back, editor’s note)
Statements taken at a press conference