Football: How Didier Deschamps Wants to Exit the Controversy with PSG

Since the injuries to Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué during the match against Ukraine last Friday (2-0), Paris Saint-Germain has taken to the streets to criticize the management of its players in the French national team . For his part, Didier Deschamps defused the tension by explaining that the capital club was not an "adversary".

Absent players sometimes overshadow those present, and this is the case for the French national team with Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué. Both players left the squad after sustaining injuries during the 2-0 victory in Poland against Ukraine on Friday. The former, with a thigh injury, will be sidelined for at least six weeks, while the latter, with a calf injury, will be out for nearly a month.

A delicate situation that has been the subject of discussion for several days and which Didier Deschamps had to explain on Monday, on the eve of the Iceland match. "What happened is what happened. We're losing two important players for [this Tuesday's] match. We handled things professionally, progressively, as we do with all players. We take their feelings into account. Unfortunately, it happened... PSG is not our opponent and never has been, even if we have interests that may diverge. Our only opponent is Iceland," thundered the coach.

However, Paris Saint-Germain's position is quite different, as it believes it has raised the alarm "about the bearable workload and the risk of injury for its players." A heated exchange of words has been launched with the Federation, against the backdrop of a lack of communication. The result: injuries deemed avoidable. The Parisian team is now calling for "a new medical-sports coordination protocol between clubs and the national team, more transparent and collaborative, to make the health of players and their medical support an absolute priority."

As it stands, the rule is that injuries to players called up for the match are recorded at Clairefontaine whenever possible. Parisian anger can also be explained by the loss of two key attacking players, who are expected to miss major matches in the coming weeks (Atalanta Bergamo, Marseille, FC Barcelona, ​​etc.).

"If he thinks there's a risk of injury, the coach is accommodating, he's not stupid. There can be health issues during the selection process, that's part of the game," Aurélien Tchouaméni put into perspective. Didier Deschamps, for his part, knows that his next starting eleven will be scrutinized while several Parisians are still in his squad (Chevalier, L. Hernandez, Barcola). "I'm the one who makes the decisions," recalled "DD", imperturbable before playing at... the Parc des Princes.