Deschamps hits back at criticism after Dembélé injury

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·7 September 2025

Deschamps hits back at criticism after Dembélé injury

Didier Deschamps, coach of the French National Team, and the Bleus staff have been heavily criticized since Friday night due to the injuries of Désiré Doué (20-year-old midfielder/forward) and Ousmane Dembélé (28-year-old forward) during the match against Ukraine. Especially for the second player from Paris Saint-Germain, who was injured a week earlier and uncertain throughout the week. Speaking to Téléfoot, the coach responded.

Deschamps: "I understand it, in their place I would feel the same."

"It's not just the medical staff, it's the French team. We've always had this relationship with all the clubs. We are aware of the players' situation when we receive information, some clubs provide it more or less. We handled things with a lot of seriousness and professionalism. I understand it, in their place I would feel the same."

Deschamps: "Zero risk doesn't exist."

"I'm not here to take risks. From the moment he's on the field, zero risk doesn't exist. Let's take an example: I have Rayan Cherki and William Saliba who are injured, it's confirmed, I don't call them up. The protocol requires them to come and confirm their injury on Monday morning, which doesn't make sense. We did this with a lot of seriousness and diligence, we asked for the player's feedback before each session. Feedback is very important. An example: Désiré Doué asked me to come off. The desire to play sometimes takes precedence over many things. If after 20 minutes he tells me there's something, I change him," comments relayed by Le Parisien.

Of course, it's impossible to guarantee there won't be an injury. It's part of the sport and everyone can accept that. But there are still possibilities to reduce the risks. Here, Deschamps and his staff made at least a bold choice.

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Dembélé had a muscle issue at the beginning of the summer, another one a week before this match. And only one collective training session in the last few days. There were other options than him at halftime, it was possible to wait a bit and not ask him for 45 minutes directly. Deschamps doesn't really address this management.

It's hard not to be angry on PSG's side, with two injuries in one match, one of which notably comes from taking risks. For Doué, indeed, it's bad luck. But Deschamps cannot hide only behind this factor to explain his choices.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.