“He really brings us a lot”

France national team coach Didier Deschamps spoke to TF1 regarding Michael Olise’s performance against Ukraine and how he fits into the French squad.

French national team coach Didier Deschamps spoke on the TF1 broadcast yesterday evening, following Les Bleus’ 2-0 victory against Ukraine in Wrocław, Poland. He notably praised England-born and FC Bayern München winger/attacking midfielder Michael Olise, who scored the opening goal in the tenth minute.

“Michael is brilliant. He is technically gifted, he runs a lot, he is smart in his movements. He has everything that we need”, Deschamps said.

The 56-year-old from Bayonne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, who has won the FIFA World Cup both as a player and coach, added: “He is doing very good things at Bayern and with us too. Of course, it took him slightly longer with us, but he has always had the quality.”

He concluded by saying: “It is good for us since he brings a lot to our team; he is capable of playing on the right, in the central areas and on the left. Additionally, he makes very technically sound decisions – he sees certain things before the others and he really brings us a lot.”

Olise started in the CAM position within Deschamps’ 4-2-3-1 for France, playing 89 minutes before being replaced by debutant Maghnes Akliouche. He finished 44/50 in passing, with an 88% success rate; additionally, he was 1/3 in terms of long ball accuracy, 1/3 in terms of dribble attempts, and 5/8 on ground duels.

He will likely be making another start in France’s upcoming qualifier against Iceland, with kickoff at the Parc des Princes in Paris set for 20:45 (CET) on Tuesday.