France manager Deschamps aiming for technical enhancements in Croatia rematch

The French midfield needs to enhance its passing and demonstrate greater creativity as they attempt to overturn a 2-0 defeat against Croatia in the first leg of the Nations League quarter-finals. The two teams will face off again in Paris on Sunday, according to manager Didier Deschamps.

Croatia secured their victory in the first leg on Thursday thanks to goals from Ante Budimir and Ivan Perisic, while France struggled to find their rhythm.

“There is definitely room for the midfield to be more inventive,” Deschamps noted to journalists on Saturday. “What we really lacked was technical precision, especially with our passing.”

“I’m not going to announce the starting lineup for tomorrow just yet. However, we need to achieve balance, something we were missing in the first match… Croatia reached the semi-finals of both the last World Cup and the most recent Nations League. They are an excellent team.”

“Some might argue that they have older players, but that hasn’t hindered their performance. I’ve gone so far as to congratulate Zlatko Dalic, my counterpart, because he has maintained this team at an exceptional level since taking over.”

The victorious side will take on either the reigning champions Spain or the Netherlands in the semi-finals come June, and France faces a challenging road ahead to secure a place in the final four.

For their hopes of progression, they will need their star player, Kylian Mbappe, to be at his best.

The 26-year-old, who boasts 87 international caps, makes his return to the French squad for the first time since September after missing the October and November Nations League matches following his transfer to Real Madrid in July.

Though Mbappe didn’t make a significant impact in the initial leg, Deschamps expressed his satisfaction with the forward’s performance, asserting: “Kylian is in great shape, he’s performing well.”

“While he wasn’t particularly effective, I saw him involved on the field, available, and showing tremendous effort. He forced a brilliant save from the Croatian goalkeeper. He’s contributing as captain and embracing his responsibilities.”

The French manager also mentioned that Marseille midfielder Adrien Rabiot is unlikely to play on Sunday due to a calf injury.