France vs Scotland: Deschamps defends Kolo Muani

In a press conference on Monday, the French national team’s coach, Didier Deschamps, defended the 24-year-old forward Randal Kolo Muani, who has faced criticism for his performances in the national team since the 2022 World Cup, despite his less convincing displays against the Netherlands (2-1) last Friday.

Deschamps stated, « With your criticisms, it won’t help move things in the right direction even though he’s someone who is rather calm and serene. Randal doesn’t do everything perfectly. We’re talking about a player who, a year before the World Cup, not many people thought he would be with us. He made it to the World Cup based on what he had done, and since then, he has continued with some good things. »

He continued, « Obviously, everything happened very quickly for him, especially with his move to Paris and the huge transfer fee. But on the field, he always plays with the same desire and availability. Of course, as a center-forward, he is judged on his effectiveness, and there is room for improvement in that area, and he knows it. He does many interesting things for the team as well. »

Deschamps addressed whether Kolo Muani was affected by the criticism, saying, « Hurt? No, I don’t think so because he is still relatively calm. But I repeat, everything happened very quickly for him… He is calm and serene, but of course, he wants to do better. »

Deschamps’ comments suggest that he still has confidence in Kolo Muani’s abilities and sees potential for improvement in the young player’s game.