France Coach Defends Inter Milan & Atletico Madrid Stars Ahead Of EURO 2024 Showdown Vs Portugal: “There Were Positive Signs” | OneFootball

France manager Didier Deschamps rose to the defense of Inter Milan striker Marcus Thuram who has been a target for critics in the French media.

The 26-year-old enjoyed a brilliant first campaign in Italian football, culminating in a historic Scudetto title.

The former Borussia Monchengladbach star immediately carved himself a regular berth in Simone Inzaghi’s starting formation, striking a formidable partnership with club captain Lautaro Martinez.

This earned Thuram a starting spot in France’s EURO 2024 campaign.

However, the striker has yet to open his account after four matches in the tournament.  This prompted criticism in the French press.

Antoine Griezmann has also been on the receiving end of some chastise.

Nevertheless, L’Equipe (via FcInterNews) still expects the under-fire duo to start for Les Bleus in tomorrow’s quarter-final showdown against Portugal, joining Kylian Mbappe in attack.

For his part, Deschamps insists that his strikers have already displayed some positive things on German soil.

Nevertheless, the former Juventus and Marseille coach admits there’s still good room for improvement.

“Griezmann is not depressed. Are we too hard on Thuram? I’m not here to judge what you say or write, the important thing is what I tell them,” said Deschamps in his pre-match press conference via FcInterNews.

“There have been positive signs from Antoine and Marcus and there are things we can improve.”

France Coach Didier Descchamps Defends Marcus Thuram & Antoine Griezmann

The France coach looked back on his team’s slim win over Belgium in the Round of 16. He also acknowledged the fact that his men haven’t been too prolific during the tournament.

“It was a closed match, very tactical. We were very intelligent because Belgium were just waiting for us to open up to punish us.

“We had more control over the match and created more chances to score.

“Unfortunately, since the beginning of this European Championship, our efficiency up front hasn’t been too high.”