France’s players attend a training session. AFP
Doha: France assistant coach Guy Stephan has lauded quarter-final opponents England for their solidity and offensive versatility. Les Bleus will play the Three Lions on Saturday at the Al Bayt Stadium for a spot in the semi-final.
Stephan speaking to reporters at France’s training base yesterday, also praised Kylian Mbappe for his maturity, with the PSG frontman enjoying a blistering run of form
in Qatar.
“England are a very good team, solid, and they’re strong offensively,” Stephan said.
England hold the edge over France in the head-to-head standings with 17 wins to France’s nine with five draws. England have faced France five times in major tournaments; twice at the World Cup and three times at the Euros.
Guy Stephan
Both sides last met at a major tournament in 2012 when Joleon Lescott and Samir Nasri scored to ensure a draw in the Euros.
“Rashford, Foden, Sterling and others run fast down the wings. We mustn’t forget that they were finalists in Euros and semi-finalists in the last World Cup. They can play with two. They played a 4-4-2, but they can also have wing-backs on the side, which means they can also play 4-3-3.”
Speaking on Mbappe, Stephan said the 23-year-old brings a lot of positives to the side, including explosiveness, speed and vision.
“For sure, he has grown in maturity and experience. He’s grown up on the pitch, and his positioning is no longer the same on the pitch. He knows what his qualities are, and he can play beyond his emotions.
“He is a leader in his own way, in the sense that he can make a difference. Daily, he brings good humour, contributes to the team, and it transmits to the collective. He is thirsty for records; he will beat other records in a few years,” Stephan added.
On Olivier Giroud’s milestone of becoming the national team’s top scorer, Stephan said the AC Milan man is a strong character who has always fought.
“I don’t know how long it will stand, it’s amazing to get to this level. If we compare him to Thierry Henry, it’s the same number of selections and caps. So that shows you how difficult it is to get to that record.
“Kylian Mbappe has already scored nine goals in a World Cup, he’s not even 24, he’s a very big footballer like Ronaldo and Messi, and they haven’t scored as many. He’s elite, off the planet with his skills and expresses his creativity very well on the pitch. He likes moving around the pitch, with an amazing technical ability. He shows this at every game.”
