Arsenal star William Saliba out to prove Didier Deschamps wrong as he’s lined up to start for France vs Austria
WILLIAM SALIBA is set to be given a chance to shine for France and prove his manager wrong.
The Arsenal defender, previously criticised by boss Didier Deschamps, is in line to start in Les Bleus Euro 2024 opener against Austria in Dusseldorf on Monday night.
Saliba, 23, has never started a game at a major tournament for his country and will be out to prove to Deschamps that he can replicate his Arsenal form at international level.
The former Saint Etienne man played every minute for Mikel Arteta‘s title challengers but has rarely been given the chance to show his quality for his country.
In March the France boss Deschamps hit out at Saliba’s performances for the national team.
He said: “He is having a good season, but he also does things that I don’t like so much.
“For France, he has limited game time, but when he plays, that hasn’t necessarily gone well. The hierarchy doesn’t favour him at the moment, but he is here.”
However, the Gunners defender has impressed in training since joining up with the squad last month and was paired alongside Dayot Upamecano in a behind closed doors session this week.
Bayern’s Upamecano and Liverpool man Ibrahima Konate have been the preferred pairing for Deschamps since Raphael Varane retired from international football.
However, Saliba appears to have moved ahead of Konate in the pecking order and his manager appears to have softened his stance somewhat.
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France Euro 2024 guide
FRANCE are the one nation all England fans are truly afraid of.
They are many punters’ favourites after knocking the Three Lions out of the 2022 World Cup and will be hoping to do much better than at Euro 2020, when they lost to Switzerland in the last 16.
MANAGER: Didier Deschamps
Coming up to 12 years in the job, the only thing missing from his CV is a European Championship.
STAR MAN: Kylian Mbappe
Mbappe’s PSG may have underachieved on the European stage but he remains France’s most deadly threat, with a World Cup trophy and a World Cup final hat-trick to his name.
How France attack
Expect to see France play in a fluid 4-3-3 – which becomes 4-2-3-1 in possession – throughout the tournament.
Giroud acts as the focal point in the attack with the two wide players and Griezmann as No 10 supporting.
How France defend
We can expect to see France defend high with an emphasis on winning back possession as far up the pitch as possible.
France will stagger their defensive shape when the opposition are in possession.
Read the full France Euro 2024 guide here, including predicted line-ups, odds and Wags.
Speaking to The Athletic ahead of the tournament, Deschamps said of Saliba: “William is one of the very best defenders in the Premier League.
“I want him to do what he does very well at Arsenal. He had a very, very good season.
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“He played many matches, especially with his partner Gabriel, and they were a fundamental part of what Arsenal did this season, particularly in the defensive aspect.
“With us, he has not had the same playing time. There are automatisms which develop through playing matches together. You have repetition and understanding.
“With a national team, we always have so little time, but now they have the possibility of living together for a few weeks and that is even better.”
Deschamps' Parisian core
Saliba is part of the vast Parisian core in Deschamps squad.
The defender – whose first club was AS Bondy in the French capital, the same as captain and star Kylian Mbappe – is one of 13 players in the 25-man squad to have started their careers in the Ile-de-France region.
It is not just this squad either, eight of the 2018 World Cup winners hailed from Il-de-France, where the likes of Thierry Henry, Paul Pogba and Nicolas Anelka also started out.
List of 13 players from Ile-de-France (Paris) region in Euro 2024 squad and their first clubs
Warren Zaire-Emery – FCM Aubervilliers
Mike Maignan – JS Villiers-le-Bel
Youssouf Fofana – Esperance Paris 19e
Marcus Thuram – Olympique de Neuilly
N’Golo Kante – JS Suresnes
Ferland Mendy – EFC Ecquevilly
Kingsley Coman – US Senart-Moissy
Alphonse Areola – Es Petits Anges 7e
Adrien Rabiot – US Creteil-Lusitanos
Ibrahima Konate – Paris FC
William Saliba – AS Bondy
Kylian Mbappe – AS Bondy
Randal Kolo Muani – FC Villepinte
Past Parisian players
Thierry Henry – CO Les Ulis
Patrice Evra – CO Les Ulis
Louis Saha – FC Soisy-Andilly-Margency
Nicolas Anelka – Trappes Saint-Quentin
Paul Pogba – Roissy-en-Brie