France coach Didier Deschamps is worried that his players may be feeling the effects of a packed season as they gear up for the Euros next month. The World Cup finalists have friendly matches against Luxembourg and Canada before their Euro 2024 group stage opener versus Austria on June 17.
Deschamps, addressing reporters as a 25-man France squad commenced their training camp, expressed his concern, stating, 'There is no such thing as zero risk, even with someone who is in top form. You can never be sure. But frankly, I'm no magician. You can't change anything with the time available... if we'd had three weeks to prepare, we could have done things that could have changed things. But we'll adapt and optimise.'
France's last outings were in March, where they suffered a defeat to Germany and secured a win against Chile in friendlies at home. Deschamps reflected on the March gatherings, noting, 'We were all able to analyse that the players, at this March gathering, were experiencing more fatigue than usual. This was linked to the succession of matches. There can be physical fatigue and psychological fatigue... aside from all the other aspects, freshness can be a decisive factor.'
Despite the concerns, Deschamps expressed confidence in his captain Kylian Mbappe, saying, 'Kylian has always been part of a team project. Obviously, he has responsibilities at his club, but he also has responsibilities here, if not more. I'm not going to pay any more attention to him in that respect.'
Looking ahead, Deschamps emphasized France's objective to secure passage to the knockout stage by winning their initial two Group D matches against Austria and Netherlands, aiming to alleviate pressure before their final group clash with Poland. 'I am a positive person, and I am driven by the idea that every day that goes by brings us closer to a positive response. Everything will be done to make sure things go as smoothly as possible,' he concluded.
