at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium,
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Surprised not to be announced by left back Deschamps :”Lately I’ve been playing a lot more in the center with Bayern, but I know this left-back position very well. Whether it’s one or the other, I know and feel very comfortable with both. You can rest assured, if the coach puts me at left back, I will defend the shirt as always. The two posts are unrelated. You need to know how to manage your efforts in the core, on the left side, it is more intense. If I have to start at the side, I know what I have to do, and if I have to finish in the center, I also know what my job will be. These are two positions that I know very well. The automatisms are there, I know my teammates very well, I am adapted to this team. Today, Saturday and Sunday, we will prepare well for this meeting.»
Shared the left back position with his brother Theo :”Being in competition with my brother is a matter of pride. It’s already incredible to do the World Cup with my brother, we’re going to enjoy it. But I will be very happy and proud if he plays. To see his brother play in the World Cup is unbelievable. These are only beautiful emotions, only pride.»
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A new dimension with certain important item packs :”Paul (Pogba) and N.G. (Kante) are very important players, leaders. Later, I am reserved outside the field, I don’t speak in front of everyone, I speak on the field, I make sure that my teammates follow me on the field.»
His memories of Australia 2018 “We haven’t started preparing for the game against Australia yet. Yesterday (Thursday) was open training for the press, as you know, it’s not the right time to prepare for the match (laughs). We are eagerly waiting for the competition to start, we are all hungry, I assure you. It was not an easy match against Australia in 2018, they put us in trouble, but we won and started the competition well. We expect aggressive Australians, after that we have to answer on the field.»
News from Karim Benzema and Raphael Varane. “They are two very important players for us with almost 100 caps. After the staff and doctors manage to put the two in the best conditions for the game against Australia. I can’t say if they will be there on Tuesday or not. If unfortunately they don’t arrive in time, we have a fantastic group of regulars at big clubs, our backs are covered and we are all confident in this group and the quality of this squad.»
His form since the injury :”I got this injury in the last second against Barca (C1 with Bayern). I thought it would be less serious than it was, but I am mentally very strong, calm, I knew that the medical staff felt that I would go to the World Cup without any worries. It was not easy, I worked hard. I thank all the medical staff and physical trainers of “Bavaria”, they are doing everything for me to be here. I am 100%, pain free, in great shape to start competing.»
These are going to be fights, and it takes good fighters to win fights.
Lucas Hernandez
Atmosphere like 2018. “Preparation time is much less as we only have one week. In 2018, we had almost a month. The team is living well, the coach has hired legendary football players and, first of all, high-quality people. We have only been together for four days, we are in the best conditions, with rooms, a hotel, we have everything to build a good relationship off the pitch, which has shown in 2018 and I hope it will show. 2022 in Qatar. We are all hungry, we want to start this competition. These are going to be fights, and it takes good fighters to win fights. Everyone is going in the same direction, we can make changes ahead, but we also need soldiers and be strict.»
Opponents of France in chickens :”We have to start from there, they will put us in trouble. All we have to do is react on the spot. It will be football matches, but also fights, and it will require fighters. We want to start well against Australia. Then we can prepare Denmark and Tunisia.»
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The difficulty of entering the World Cup :”We are all expected, now even more so, because we are the current champions. I leave everything related to the first match and the expectations around the French team. I focus on myself, it’s the same for my teammates. It’s not easy to start a World Cup, it’s always difficult, but a win against Australia will start the World Cup in a great way. We all want to be there.»
Updated group :”There are a lot of young people, I consider myself like that too… There are a lot of players who don’t play much but have club experience. They can bring us a lot, something new. The coach decides who will play, but we all want to start the competition. Everyone will go the same way, in the same direction, try to go as far as possible. It will go through group meetings, and we will see the rest. (…) Young people also realize the importance of the first meeting. It won’t be just that, we also know the match with Denmark and the game against Tunisia. Whether young or old, we all know the difficulty of the World Cup. Perhaps the elders can give advice, keep their emotions, focus on the game and not waste time on what is said or written in the newspapers. That should be the strong point of this match and forget the surrounding context.»
Kylian Mbappe is an extraordinary player with incredible qualities, it is an honor to have him in our team and not the other way around.
Lucas Hernandez
Set the mood in Pogba’s absence :”Smile? That’s the personality, I’m always like that, I smile, I like to talk to all the players, all my colleagues can count on me, I’ll always be there, with a smile of course. After all, everyone has their own personality. You can’t compare me to Paul, another dimension, a real manager, we will miss him, but we have players who will replace him very well. Off the field you can count on me always with a smile.»
Kylian Mbappé :”He is an extraordinary player with incredible qualities, it is an honor to have him in our team and not ahead. I will have time to play against him in February (during PSG-Bayern Champions League last 16, editor)… He is a player who can change at any time. We will try to put it in the best conditions. We count on him, on all the players. He has matured a lot since 2018, he is a complementary player on and off the pitch, he is part of the French national team and he is highly valued in the team.»
Statements made at the press conference
Source: Le Figaro
I am Dylan Hudson, a dedicated and experienced journalist in the news industry. I have been working for Buna Times, as an author since 2018. My expertise lies in covering sports sections of the website and providing readers with reliable information on current sporting events.