Injury storm threatens France
On the army day at Clairefontaine, midfielder Presnel Kimpembe actively asked to withdraw because he felt that he was not physically fit when he returned from an injury at PSG. Coach Didier Deschamps had to call Monaco defender Axel Disasi - a player who has not played a minute in the French team - to replace him.
At the training session on November 15, Nkunku was injured after a situation in which he competed for the ball with midfielder Eduardo Camavinga. After that, the French Football Federation (FFF) announced that the 25-year-old striker of RB Leipzig injured his left knee and could not attend the 2022 World Cup.
On the same day, Deschamps called up Frankfurt striker Kolo Muani to replace him. According to RMC Sport, Muani received a call to announce his appointment to replace Nkunku at 23:00 on November 15, Paris time, while in Japan, where he trained with Frankfurt.
Muani has only played for France twice, in a 2-0 win over Austria and a 0-2 loss to Denmark in the UEFA Nations League at the end of September. From the beginning of the season, the 23-year-old striker scored 8 goals and 11 assists through 23 matches in all arenas of Frankfurt.
Before Kimpembe and Nkunku, France lost Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante - the main duo on the journey to winning the 2018 World Cup - to long-term injuries. In addition, Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan also did not return in time because of a leg injury. Unlike Pogba and Kante, Maignan's absence does not leave much concern because he is a backup plan for goalkeeper captain Hugo Lloris.
In addition, Deschamps is also worried about Karim Benzema's condition. The 34-year-old striker missed Real Madrid's last three matches in La Liga because of a thigh injury, and has not trained with the French team.
In an interview with La Chaine L'Équipe newspaper last weekend, Benzema admitted to having many fitness problems before the 2022 World Cup, but was confident he would be in the best shape for the opening match against Australia on November 22. The FFF's medical team also revealed that Benzema is recovering according to the expected schedule.
But according to the Spanish newspaper AS, Benzema is unlikely to play in the opening match against Australia on November 23 because of his "difficult physical condition". This source also said that Deschamps summoned Gladbach's striker Marcus Thuram in case the 2022 Ballon d'Or was injured again.
Another pillar of "Les Bleus" has not returned to training is Raphael Varane - defender injured from the match against Chelsea at the end of October. According to AS, the absence of training session on November 15 is a sign that the central defender The 29-year-old still has a long way to go to a full recovery.
On November 16, France was present in Doha and did not play a friendly match like candidates like Germany or Argentina, ahead of the 2022 World Cup. Here, Deschamps' teachers and students need to avoid going in the footsteps of the eliminated champions. right from the group stage of the next World Cup. This number includes France in 2002, Italy 2010, Spain 2014 and Germany 2018.
