William Gallas thinks that Didier Deschamps made the right
call in not selecting
Anthony Martial for the World Cup, although he
believes
Alexandre Lacazette can feel aggrieved at not being picked.
Both players are on France’s stand-by list for Russia,
with there
being fierce competition for places in the squad with attacking talents
such as Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele, Nabil Fekir and Kylian
Mbappe all named as past of Deschamps’ 23-man group.
France’s opening game of the tournament is against Australia on June 16, before they face Peru and Denmark .
And Gallas, who was capped 84 times for his country, feels the
decision not select Lacazette can be viewed as harsh, but that
Manchester United winger Martial can have no complaints.
“I feel sorry for Lacazette because for his first season in England,
he did well,” Gallas told Goal . “Fifteen goals with an injury! He came
back and did well. Maybe it is a little bit difficult for him to accept
that he’s not one of the 23 players.
“Martial? I don’t feel sorry for him because he had the opportunity.
He was in the squad many times before. I think he missed his chance go
to the World Cup. He didn’t perform at his best for the whole season. To
go to the World Cup, you have to perform all season.
“You can’t be up and down, that’s what has made the difference. He is
still young and maybe he will learn. He has great quality and it is a
shame for him.”
Gallas, who played in the Chelsea Legends versus Inter Forever match
at Stamford Bridge on May 18, has suggested France lack a standout
leader in the squad, which could hinder their chances of winning the
World Cup.
“As a French guy, I hope they win the World Cup. It will be very
difficult as there are some very strong teams,” he added. “Spain,
Brazil, Germany… it will be very interesting to see if France can get to
the final. In France, everybody expects them to get to the semi-final
so I hope they will do something.
“We have got some good, young players. They may be young but they are
very talented and they can make the difference. The only problem is
that if we play against a strong team, we could be in trouble because we
will need to be stronger. We need players who shout on the pitch when
you’re not playing well.
“At the moment we don’t have that type of player. I hope that before
the World Cup, the manager will speak with his players and say what they
have to do. Everyone wants to see one leader, but no one wants to be
that leader. To be a leader, you have to think about your performance
and the performance of your team-mates.
“You have to talk to them and it is not easy. I know because I became
a leader when I was 28 years old. When you ask a player who is only 25,
it is really difficult. It might not be natural.”
No comments:
Post a Comment