Speaking in a pre-match press conference, France captain Hugo Lloris (35) responded to claims in the British media that he is the “Achilles heel” of Les Bleus’ squad.
Lloris, who is set to pass Lilian Thuram’s France appearance record during Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final tie against England, has been labeled as a weak link in the France side. The Telegraph went as far as to describe him as the “Achilles heel.” The Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper, who has played his football in the Premier League for the past decade responded to that criticism during Friday’s pre-match conference.
“I’m not going to settle my account in a press conference. The most important thing is what happens on the pitch. In the quarter-final of a World Cup, you don’t need outside motivation. They have their opinion and I have to respond on the pitch,” said Lloris in a conference transcribed by L’Équipe.
Lloris captained France to the 2018 World Cup in Russia and has started in all but one of France’s fixtures during this year’s edition in Qatar. He was replaced by veteran goalkeeper Steve Mandanda during the group stage loss to Tunisia, with progression to the knockout stages already guaranteed.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
