Robert Pires has backed Dimitri Payet to start for France this weekend in place of Anthony Martial.
In the Evening Standard, Pires has called for Didier Deschamps to play the West Ham midfielder because of his set piece ability as well as his all round contribution.
Both are very good and totally different,” Pires told RMC. “I have a slight preference for Dimitri Payet. In modern football, set pieces are very important.
“With a free kick, Payet can bring you a victory like he did against Cameroon. But I want to stress that the substitutes have a very important role too.”
Pires is right about set pieces, and with International football being so cagey for the majority of the time, Payet’s set pieces could be an invaluable asset in breaking down defences during the tournament.
It looks like Payet could feature in the left of the front three for France, a position that he is familiar with after playing their for a lot of this season for the club. With Giroud the favourite to play up front, Payet’s link up with the Arsenal striker could be a big feature of France’s attacking play.
Payet will be hoping to start in the tournament opener this Friday against Romania, and many of his compatriots believe that he should be starting, it remains to be seen whether Deschamps thinks the same.
