France added two more debutants to the long list of players who had their first break from manager Didier Deschamps, the boss gave Adrien Rabiot and goalkeeper Benoit Costil their chance against Ivory Coast last Tuesday and neither of them made any big mistakes in the 0-0 draw. But this was regarded by the press as a complete and utter waste of time, because they were expecting more development from the already established squad in order to gain momentum playing together.
Manager Deschamps didn't understand the criticism against the new players, he responded to the press via Canal + Sport and said: "We had a tough game and it was a laborious second half. When there are many changes, it does not help. We won the game that we had to win on Friday and there I was able to give playing time to young players. It seemed appropriate for the team. Do not judge too quickly the players tonight. The requirements at this level are very high, but I do not often get the chance to do that.
"We have done very good things this year with the highlight being Euro 2016 – although the only loss we have is the one that hurts and prevents us to have a title. The team has improved a lot. We must build on it. I'll make sure to give the young players a taste of the high level in the future."
Photo credit: Equipe de France