France have always been known for the pool of extraordinarily talented players at their disposal. However, when it comes to picking a squad for the World Cup, only 23 of them get the chance to make it. While it is unfortunate that a lot of talented people miss out on the big event, it is those players who suit the manager’s requirement that make it in the end.
The French national team is blessed with an abundance of talented players and this time too, many were left out of their 23-man squad for the World Cup.
Here is an XI of players that didn’t make it to Russia:
The Snubbed France XI
Goalkeeper: Benoît Costil
Costil has lost his No.3 goalkeeper spot to Alphonse Areola. He made it to the Euro 2016 France side that was the runners-up. He has kept 9 clean sheets in his first season as Bordeaux goalkeeper where he made a total of 79 saves.
Defenders
Right-back: Mathieu Debuchy
Debuchy has turned a corner after leaving Arsenal. The full-back is among the highest scoring defenders in Europe and has been nothing short of a sensation at St. Etienne. But a World Cup spot was just too much to ask for.
Centre-back: Mamadou Sakho
Sakho, a former Liverpool reject, is loving life at Selhurst Park. The Frenchman has consistently put up solid performances and has helped the Eagles survive yet another relegation battle. His last international appearance was in 2016, so a World Cup call-up was very far.
Centre-back: Aymeric Laporte
Laporte hasn’t yet earned a cap for the French national team. He became quite an important player for Pep Guardiola’s record-breaking Manchester City side but still didn’t make the cut.
Left-back: Layvin Kurzawa
Kurzawa has been battling Yuri for the left-back spot at Paris Saint-Germain. The left-back still managed more appearances than Benjamin Mendy, who spent the majority of the season injured. Kurzawa would’ve been a solid option for France.
Midfielders
Right-wing: Dimitri Payet
An unfortunate injury has ruled Dimitri Payet’s chances of going to the World Cup. He may or may not be fit for the World Cup but manager Didier Deschamps has not taken that risk and has left out the man with 9 goals and 20 assists to his name.
Central midfielder: Adrien Rabiot
Perhaps, the most shocking exclusion. Rabiot is a homegrown talent at PSG and is a near-complete midfielder. He has now withdrawn out of the reserves too and hasn’t trained with the national team. He was a regular in the French side during the qualifiers but hasn’t made it to the final squad.
Central midfielder: Tiemoue Bakayoko
Bakayoko broke into the French team after a fantastic 16/17 season at Monaco but his transfer to Chelsea hasn’t been the best. Bakayoko has been inconsistent and injuries haven’t helped either. He picked up the pace in the final months of the season but was still not deemed good enough.
Left-wing: Anthony Martial
Anthony Martial was having a spectacular season until the arrival of Alexis Sanchez. He was scoring and assisting for fun but has struggled for game time since February. Despite that, he still has more goals, key passes and assists than Thomas Lemar and will feel very disappointed that he hasn’t made the squad.
Forwards
Second striker: Wissam Ben Yedder
Wissam Ben Yedder has scored 20 goals this season, more than Olivier Giroud. His link-up play is very good too. He has been prolific and made the most of his chances at Sevilla.
Striker: Alexandre Lacazette
Lacazette had his ups and downs this season but has scored crucial goals. He had a fantastic season and his exclusion maybe down to the fact that Giroud suits Deschamps’ system more than him
Other notable exclusions: Lucas Digne, Kurt Zouma, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Kingsley Coman and Karim Benzema
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