Tactically, we lost 4-1. I’m saying it first so we can stop talking about it, like on Mondays when I look at the table in the third provincial division (Belgium’s Sunday amateur leagues). France won, Belgium conceded four, and I spent the evening watching another match inside the match: the French captain’s.
Ousmane Dembélé wore the armband in the absence of Kylian Mbappé. Ballon d’Or winner in 2025, moved to the right at kick-off. Replaced on 60 minutes by Michael Olise. And Olise set up Rayan Cherki on 81, then scored twice, on 88 and 90+1. According to RMC Sport, Dembélé has not scored in the four matches Les Bleus have played since Zinédine Zidane became national team coach.
What interests me is the press conference. Zidane said: “Ousmane, I thought he was very good, especially early in the match and even early in the second half.” Then: “He was very dynamic on his side. There’s no problem on that side.”
That’s the trade. I defend my captain too. He plays on the right, the side of the slope, the one that runs downhill. When I take him off on the hour to bring on the kid who turns up late because he dropped his sister off, and the kid does everything, I say exactly the same thing at the clubhouse bar: he was dynamic on his side. On his sloping side, mind you. A flat pitch away, it’s the same press conference.
Zidane added that we’re used to seeing Dembélé “play pretty much everywhere” and that “he’s good in every position”. I run that on Tuesday. When we’ve got eleven, that is. The rest of the time, everyone is good in every position because there’s nobody in the others.
Freddy, we conceded four goals and you’re congratulating their coach on his press conference. That’s a disgrace. I’m weighing my words.
I’m not congratulating anyone. I just opened my folder and noted the sentence down. The day my captain comes off on the hour and the team scores three after, I’ll bring it out word for word.
It’s true, we checked: RMC Sport.
