Denmark have recorded back-to-back victories over France for only the second time in their history. Two first half goals were enough to consign France to a 2-nil defeat, their fourth defeat in Group A1 of the ongoing UEFA Nations League tournament....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
Denmark’s gaffer named a strong starting XI for this match, with Christian Eriksen, Tottenham’s Hojbjerg and former Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel all included in the lineup.
However, France coach Didier Deschamps who needed a win from this game to avoid getting relegated and also ease the pressure on him surprisingly left out Raphael Varane in favor of William Saliba.
And it greatly backfired as the Arsenal defender dropped a defensive ‘disaster-class’ in the first half which contributed to his immediate substitution after the end of the first 45 minutes.
Saliba was culpable for Denmark’s first goal of the night, allowing Mikel Damsgaard far too much space to pick out the run of goalscorer Kasper Dolberg, something which wouldn’t have occured if Varane was there.
Although Saliba wasn’t individually at fault for the host’s second goal, his overall performance suggested why he should never be handed a starting berth ahead of a fully fit Varane.
Of course, that’s not to say Saliba isn’t a good defender, but then in high-profile matches like the one we saw today, Varane’s experience and ingenuity is what’s needed to prevent defensive mistakes from happening.
With the World Cup fast approaching, Saliba must have shown Deschamps that although he deserves to make the final squad, he’s yet to become a leader like Varane.