Spain’s Lamine Yamal “isn’t disrespectful” explains France star

Jules Koundé spoke to the media in Dallas ahead of France’s World Cup semifinal against Spain. In recent hours, the matchup has taken on a little extra edge after Lamine Yamal said that if there was one team France should fear, it was Spain.

“It isn’t disrespectful. He does the same thing at Barcelona. I know him well,” the French fullback said. “It’s his way of building confidence. He knows what he’s capable of. I see it as extra motivation for him, not as a sign of disrespect.”

Asked how France should approach the game, Koundé said:

“We’re two very attack-minded teams. Spain has always played a possession-based style, although they can also hurt you in transition. So can we. We can pin teams back or exploit transitions ourselves. We’ll have to keep hold of the ball because you can’t let Spain have it for 90 minutes. If you do, they’ll find the spaces and the combinations to hurt you.”

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