France boss explains why he picked Saliba over Konate | OneFootball

William Saliba helped France to a clean sheet in his first major international tournament start on Monday night, a 1-0 win over Austria.

France’s William Saliba eyes the ball during the UEFA Euro 2024 Group D football match between Austria and France at the Duesseldorf Arena in Duesseldorf on June 17, 2024. (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

After having to settle for a spot on the bench throughout the 2022 World Cup, William Saliba finally got his first start at a major tournament when France took on Austria in their opening group game of Euro 2024 on Monday night.

The selection was somewhat of a surprise, with Ibrahima Konate previously having been preferred alongside Dayot Upamecano.

But it wasn’t a last-minute decision, with Saliba preparing for his start all week in training, and the news leaking last Friday.

France’s William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano fight for the ball with Austria’s Marcel Sabitzer during the UEFA Euro 2024 Group D football match between Austria and France at the Duesseldorf Arena in Duesseldorf on June 17, 2024. (Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)

After the game, Didier Deschamps responded to questions about the decision to pick Saliba by saying: “If I played Saliba, it’s because I thought he was more ready than Konate for such a match.

“I don’t want to lose anyone either, we will need everyone. They (Saliba and Upamecano) have 120 minutes together for the France national team, it’s not a lot.

“But they have this ability to be very solid in one-on-one [situations], even if there were some clearances that they could improve on, they exuded a lot of strength and calmness. We needed that against such an opponent.”

France’s William Saliba heads the ball during the UEFA Euro 2024 Group D football match between Austria and France at the Duesseldorf Arena in Duesseldorf on June 17, 2024. (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Saliba performed well across the 90 minutes, winning possession more times than any other player, completing 94% of his passes and winning all of his attempted tackles and duels without making a foul.

There was one unfortunate moment when one of Saliba’s clearances rebounded into the path of an Austria forward, but N’Golo Kante was on hand to mop up.

Other than that, it was a solid first start at a major tournament for Saliba, and one he’ll hope to build on if he’s selected again against the Netherlands on Friday, June 21st at 20:00 BST.