On Euro 2024
France knocked out Portugal on penalties and have set-up a semi-final with Spain. How would you describe France’s performances at the tournament so far?
I'm a little bit disappointed with France’s performances at this championship, especially when you look at the quality of the players we have. All I can say is, the most important thing is being in the tournament.
In tournament football, it’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish. It doesn't matter how you play or if you play well or not. The only thing that matters from a player’s perspective is having the opportunity to lift the trophy.
The most important thing is to win and now we need to win the semi-final. You can play well. You can play attractive football, but at the end, maybe you are not in the semi-final.
Both France and England went into this tournament with massive expectations, and I think it would be fair to say that both of them have been below par. Why do you think that is?
Listen, it’s not that surprising to see both France and England produce this type of football at the Euros. That is how both managers like to set-up their teams, with the first objective not to lose the game.
Both of them played as defensive players during their career and that has definitely had an influence on their tactical style.
The first priority is to keep things tight and then you let your players play on the counterattack. Both men prioritise security over anything else – France and England play in the image of their managers.
If you were to compare France’s and England’s tactical style to Spain’s, they are a lot more conservative, whereas Spain plays with complete freedom. Spain have played the most attractive football at the tournament, but will it be a style that sees them crowned European champions? We will find out soon enough.
Who do you think have been France’s best players?
Three players have really impressed me for France. N’Golo Kante is my first pick, he’s been absolutely brilliant at this tournament. There were a lot of doubts about whether or not he would be the same player because he’s been playing in Saudi Arabia, people wondered what his level would be like. He’s answered those questions emphatically with his performances. I think there were a few people that were ready to write him ff and he has surprised some people.
William Saliba has been just magnificent. This is his first big international competition as a starting player – he’s never played on a stage like this before – and what he’s doing is just unbelievable right now. I love the way that he has built an understanding with Dayot Upamecano so quickly. It’s a great partnership and both players look really strong. They make life so difficult for a striker.
Mike Maignan has also looked really assured. He’s a player that isn’t really spoken about that much outside of France, but his performances at this tournament should give him the credit he deserves. I think he’s been the best goalkeeper at the tournament.
We spoke about Mbappe’s form before this tournament, he had a difficult end to the season. Are we watching a player who is struggling to find the rhythm because of his limited game time with PSG last season?
I think Kylian is struggling to produce his best level because of how he finished the season with PSG, where he was in and out of the team. Before the tournament, I thought that he would be able to put all of that behind him, but he hasn’t and, at the moment, you have to say that Kylian hasn’t had a good championship.
We know what he can do. We know his performance, his quality, and at the moment he is not the same Kylian that we have all recognised as one of the world’s best players. It’s as simple as that.
Kylian knows that he must do more. He said as much when he was answering some questions after the game against Portugal. He was really honest. He knows that the most important thing is the team, not him.
Kylian knows he needs to raise his level against Spain. Everyone in France hopes that he can because we need him. We need our captain to deliver, and we need his individual quality because he is the type of player that can make the difference in a match like this.
Mbappe has been below par, but is there a level of sympathy for him because he must play with a mask on?
To be honest, I don't know how it feels to play with a mask on because it’s something that I never had to do in my career. Of course, it must be having an impact on his performances because we’ve seen him look irritated by the mask and touching his face during games, so it looks like he isn’t comfortable.
I’ve often wondered if he will become so frustrated with the mask that he takes it off in a game, but I don’t think he will because his nose must be really fragile. He was taken off against Portugal with a problem with his nose, so it must be painful for him, and it is only natural that it will have an impact on his performances on the pitch.
I hope that with every game it gets easier (wearing the mask). Hopefully he can come to the party and have a decisive impact for France at the tournament.
Ronaldo is obviously a plyer that you admire a lot. When we spoke last time, you backed him to play at the World Cup in 2026, but did his performances at this tournament change your mind?
I think that Cristiano Ronaldo will still go to the World Cup in 2026, but whether he is a starter for Portugal is a big doubt. After his performances at the Euros, I think it will be very difficult for him to be in the starting eleven of Portugal’s best team.
I can definitely see him there. I think he wants to finish his career as the only player in history to have played at six World Cups and six European Championships, he’s done the last bit and I expect him to do the first.
After he struggled at this tournament, it would be very difficult for Roberto Martinez to persevere with him as Portugal’s leading striker.
How confident are you that France will make it to the final?
I can’t say that I am 100% confident that France will beat Spain and go to the final because I’ve watched all of Spain’s games and they are a very good team. It is going to be a difficult challenge for France to overcome this Spanish side.
Physically, we look stronger than them. If the game went into extra time, France has players that are better equipped to deal with that scenario. We showed that resilience against Portugal.
We have the options in the team to punish tiring opponents. Dembele came on and he made a difference. OK, we didn’t score in extra-time, but Dembele was the most dangerous player on the pitch.
If I had to rate France’s chance of getting to the final, then I am 80% confident. I must give 20% to Spain because they have some very good players with a lot of quality. Whoever gets the first goal will have a massive advantage in this match.
Have England done anything in this tournament to worry the French camp if you were to meet them in the final?
(Laughs) Why would anyone in France be worried about England? Seriously. If the final is played between France and England, then France will be the favourite.
I would give France a 60% chance of winning the game. I am being kind to England by giving them a 40% chance because I spent most of my career playing there (laughs).
How would you rate England’s performances so far? Are you surprised that they are one game away from a final after so many below par performances?
I will be honest with you. I didn't expect England to qualify for the semi-final. I tipped Switzerland to win against England, so I got that one wrong.
It's good that England has qualified for the semi-final. I love the English fans – they are amazing. The game against Holland will be very interesting. I really couldn’t pick a winner between the two nations. I hope that England can beat Holland, but they have a habit of letting you down, especially if you declare your support for them. For the sake of the English fans, I won’t give a prediction because I don’t want to jinx it.
After England’s performances, nobody expected them to get to this stage of the tournament, but here they are.
Which of the England players have stood out for you?
I think England’s best player at the championship has been Declan Rice. When you look at England’s performances over five games, Rice has been Gareth Southgate’s most consistent player.
There are a few players in the England team that will be disappointed with their contribution so far. I think the two biggest culprits are Phil Foden and Harry Kane. Even though Harry has scored two goals and could finish the tournament with the golden boot, his performances haven’t been good enough. I don’t think that any strikers have really stood out, obviously Kylian has had his problems.
Gakpo has been good. He may fancy his chances of finishing the tournament with the golden boot, especially if he can knock England out.
It’s been a tournament where the game’s biggest names haven’t come to the party yet. Ronaldo didn’t do anything; Kane has been poor. Mbappe hasn’t shone. Why do you think that is?
I think Ronaldo’s lack of goals at this tournament is easier to explain than Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe’s poor performances. He's 39 years old and perhaps we have seen from his performances at this tournament the difference in the level between playing in Saudi Arabia and playing in Europe.
Harry Kane and Kylian’s poor performances are harder to explain. I find it strange that a superstar hasn’t grabbed the tournament by the scruff of the neck and showed the rest of Europe that they are the best.
Maybe Kane and Mbappe are missing the sharpness that we would normally associate with them. They both had long seasons, Kane came into the tournament with a slight injury and Mbappe came into the tournament without the rhythm of playing every week for PSG.
It’s been a tournament where the big players that everyone wants to see haven’t turned up yet, but the difference is that Mbappe and Kane can still do something on this stage and all Ronaldo can do is watch the games on the TV.
What are the decisions that have left you scratching your head that the England manager Gareth Southgate has made at this tournament?
I think Gareth Southgate’s reluctance to play Cole Palmer is the one decision that I would challenge him on. After the second game in the group, England were so poor against Denmark, and he still didn’t see any action. I couldn’t believe it because England were crying out for something a bit different.
Against Slovenia, Palmer was given some minutes. When you look at the players that Southgate has picked, he’s tried to put in his best players, and it has looked like he has hoped that things would come together naturally rather than developing a plan – it’s almost like he expects the players to work it out for themselves.
He’s been reluctant to take off his big names and make changes, even when they have been performing badly.
I’m sure he has had a lot of his decisions questioned by the fans and the media throughout this tournament, but right now what can you say to him? He’s taken his team to the semi-finals. He’s done his job. Have England been lucky to get this far? I think things could have been a lot more difficult for them.
Who do you think has been the best defender at the tournament so far?
The best defender at the tournament is William Saliba.
Listen, when it comes to William Saliba, we’ve spoken a lot about him and his ability. Several people said that he was one of the best defenders in the world, and I said that for him to be one of the best in the world, he had to deliver on the international stage and become a first-choice player for France.
He’s the best defender in the Premier League. He’s taken that form into the Euros, and for him to be performing like this as his first international tournament, it’s simply magnificent.
Right now, there isn’t a better defender in Europe than William Saliba. He’s the best one.
Is he the best defender in the world? For him to be recognised as the world’s best centre back, then he needs to shine on the stage of a World Cup. He needs to demonstrate that he can be a boss against strikers from every continent. So, in my opinion, he isn’t the best in the world, but he is certainly the best in Europe.
I’m confident that when he plays in the World Cup in two years’ time, he will show everyone how good he is again, and then we can say for certain that William Saliba is the best defender in the world. He has all the attributes to be the best central defender in the world.
From what you’ve seen so far, who do you think is going to become European champion?
If France beat Spain, then we will be champions. The winner of Euro 2024 is going to come from the semi-final of France and Spain.
If France wins, it will be 24 years since we last won the trophy, and that has a nice symmetry to it, especially as Didier Deschamps was the captain of that team.
If Didier were to lift this trophy, then I think he is definitely in the conversation for being recognised as the greatest international manager in history.
Who do you think has been the biggest flop – it could be a player or a manager?
I’m going to get in trouble for saying this, and before I do, I have to state that this is a player who I completely respect . For his last Euro I wanted Ronaldo to shine in this competition because he deserves it after what he has done in football and for the example he has set for the younger players. Unfortunately, this time, it didn’t happen for him.
Listen, I love him as a professional. I love his attitude and his desire. I love what he has achieved in his career, so it’s really difficult for me to label him the biggest flop at Euro 2024, but the performances just haven’t been there.
It's difficult for me to single him out. Everybody will say he's 39, but I think football fans from around the world expected more from him at this tournament. We wanted to see him do something special at his last Euros, and it would have been a brilliant story and a brilliant way to celebrate his legendary career.
Unfortunately, he didn't score one goal and it looked like he was playing with too much pressure on his shoulders. In the end, it was really hard for him.
He wasn’t the only star that didn’t shine brightly at this tournament. Mbappe hasn’t performed. Harry Kane hasn’t been at his best.
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