Deschamps held talks with Mbappé and Giroud after dispute
Kylian Mbappé admitted to being "affected" by Olivier Giroud's remarks, but Didier Deschamps insisted there is no tension between the pair.
Didier Deschamps has confirmed he pulled Kylian Mbappé and Olivier Giroud to one side to discuss what heppened following their recent dispute.
Giroud felt ignored
Giroud caused a stir after scoring a double in Les Blues' 3-0 friendly win over Bulgaria last Tuesday when appearing to suggest some irritation at a lack of service. He did not mention any player by name, but the comments were perceived to be aimed at strike partner Mbappé, who failed to pick out the Chelsea forward on several occasions. There were only three passes between the pair during their 43 minutes together on the field.
Paris Saint-Germain forward Mbappé had the opportunity to respond at a news conference on Sunday and admitted to being "a little affected" by Giroud's remarks. However, Deschamps has insisted the incident was soon put to bed and France are now fully focused on their Euro 2020 opener against Germany at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday.
"I spoke to them, in the same way I have spoken to other players," he told L'Équipe. "When I feel I have to do it for certain reasons, I do it. Dialogue is a part of management, but listening is also good. These players at a very high level are easier to manage than those at a lower level. Yes, they have pride, but also ego – though I'm not sure if it's ego. They are competitors and a balance has to be found. We need room in the team for everyone."
Asked about the affect the exchange of words has had on the France camp, Deschamps said: "Everyone got back in the saddle on Thursday. We are all working in the same direction with the same objective. It is also a question of generations, with different interests. Don't forget we spend 24 hours together. On the pitch, they all wear the same jersey and I know they will all make the same effort as the others."
Pogba presser
Mbappé was reportedly blocked from speaking at a news conference last week, with Paul Pogba instead put up to speak to the press, but Deschamps denied that was the case. "To be clear, I was not opposed to that," he said. "Pogba offered to go and I validated. It's a reality, it happens. Honestly, internally, I cannot talk about tensions because that is not the case."