France boss Didier Deschamps has clarified his views on West Ham star Dimitri Payet and the reasons why one of the Premier League’s most exciting players may not be featuring much for his national side this summer.
According to The Mirror, Deschamps stated, “I’ve already called and I have already spoken to him about it. I said that I expected more from him than he (produced) when he was with us.
“It was not enough. In the France team, he does not do the same thing (as he does) in his club.”
This may be a valid point from Deschamps, but surely he would need to actually give Payet a chance to find out whether he can make a permanent step up to International level. Payet is having an incredible season, even by his own high standards, so surely his domestic from would be replicated at International level regardless of whether he wasn’t quite up to standards previously.
Payet has also turned on the style against the big sides this season, including tearing Manchester City apart earlier this season. He is currently playing a much higher percentage of top teams in the Premier League, as opposed to the mainly lesser opposition in Ligue 1. There are a few exceptions, but I don’t believe anyone would claim Ligue 1 is a stronger league than its English counterpart.
There is also a massive issue with the Deschamps quotes. The France manager said, “He often plays on the left in a 4-3-3. He has some very interesting statistics on the left.
“But after that there is a competition issue. In this position on the left, the competition is from Anthony Martial, Antoine Griezmann, Mathieu Valbuena, Hatem Ben Arfa or Nabil Fekir before he got injured.”
Anyone that has watched Payet this season knows that he is more effective centrally. West Ham fans have moaned about putting him on the left because he gets less of the ball. If this is the position Deschamps sees him filling, then there is no wonder he isn’t performing as well.
Add this to the fact that Martial wants to play as a central striker. Griezmann plays down the middle for Atletico, or even on the right rather than on the left. Valbuena is similar to Payet in that he plays most effectively down the middle, Ben Arfa loves cutting in onto his left from the right and Fekir is injured. So Deschamps has named five players that are potentially ahead of Payet (most shouldn’t be) yet NONE of them are naturally left sided midfielders, and NONE of them favour that position.
This seems to suggest that Payet is simply out of favour, and that Deschamps has tried to cover this by naming some top French talents keeping him out of the team. Despite the fact that they don’t even play in Payet’s position.
All Payet can do is keep performing as he has been. The French team is clearly brimming with talent, but I have no doubt that seeing Payet playing central in the side would be fundamental in bringing out the best in him. He is always less effective on the left.
Maybe as manager of his national side, Deschamps should actually know where his players best positions are.
Either way, France’s loss is our gain. We’ve got Payet.
