Didier Deschamps announced the 23-man squad on Thursday for France’s next UEFA Nations League fixtures in September.
Ahead of the World Cup 2022, France play Austria and Denmark on September 22 and September 25, respectively, in what is considered Deschamps’ last chance to test the mettle of the team.
Following the announcement of the squad, the coach was flooded with questions, one of which was regarding Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann and his lack of playing time in the new season in the Spanish capital. As quoted by L’Équipe, Deschamps, 53, said:
“At least he’s not tired. He has a situation that you know. I’m not going to go into that area. This limits his playing time. On playing time, granted, he remains a decisive player for his club. He aspires to better, to more. It’s been a while since he last did 90 minutes.”
In the 2022/23 season, Griezmann has made seven appearances for Diego Simeone’s team across all competitions. But when it comes to his playing time, he has only been on the field for 192 minutes.
The 31-year-old Frenchman has been made to spend a limited time on the field so that Atletico don’t have to pay a substantial amount to FC Barcelona. As such, Griezmann’s almost every club appearance this season has come in the shape of him being a second-half substitute.
GFFN | Jyotirmoy Halder
