France’s head coach Didier Deschamps affirmed on Sunday that he would continue with his planned squad rotations ahead of Monday’s Nations League match against Belgium in Lyon.
Despite a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Italy in Paris last Friday, Deschamps maintained that this loss would not affect his strategy to implement multiple lineup changes.
He emphasised that the pre-arranged adjustments would go ahead as scheduled, indicating his confidence in the approach.
“The six Nations League matches must be used to introduce new players and distribute playing time,” he told the pre-match press conference.
“If we had a different schedule and were playing World Cup qualifiers, I would not have chosen this course, that’s for sure. But I chose it because I believe that we have to go through it. I’m not going to change course.”
Following their first two Nations League matches, France will face Israel and Belgium next month before wrapping up their Group A2 campaign with fixtures against Israel and Italy in November.
Speaking after the Italy loss, where France took an early lead within 20 seconds but ultimately lost 3-1, Deschamps stated that he is seeking a strong response from his team.
He emphasised the importance of rebounding from the defeat as they move forward in the competition
“I can’t be satisfied with the match against Italy, nor can the players. Tomorrow is another game, another context, a different team with the same obligation,” he added.
“The course I have taken is to give as much playing time to as many players as possible. Whatever the playing time, there is always pressure, you have to perform as well as possible.”
Belgium, meanwhile, are still hurting after their Euro 2024 exit at the hands of France, with manager Dominic Tedesco feeling they showed them too much respect in their round-of-16 loss this summer in Düsseldorf, Germany.
“At the European Championship, it was a close one against France. We could have won too,” Tedesco said at a press conference on Sunday. “France were a bit better; they deserved to win, but we also had our chances.
It would be a lie if I said that match is forgotten; it still hurts. I often think about the European Championship, but you also must look ahead.”
Belgium began their campaign with a 3-1 win over Israel behind closed doors on Friday in Debrecen, Hungary, where they had switched the match for security reasons.