Emmanuel Petit has expressed his bemusement at Olivier Giroud’s post-match remarks following France’s 3-0 victory over Bulgaria.
The Chelsea striker was on target twice as Dider Deschamps’ side stormed to victory in their final Euro 2020 warm-up game.
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But speaking after the match Giroud cut a frustrated figure, telling TV station L’Equipe du Soir that he wasn’t satisfied with the number of passes he was receiving from his teammates.
“I was a little quiet because, sometimes, I make runs and the balls aren’t forthcoming,” Giroud said.
“I am not saying that I always make the best runs, but I am seeking to offer solutions in the box.”
Reports in the French media claimed PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe was fuming with Giroud and planned to hit back at his teammate in the media.
Meanwhile, Deschamps attempted to defuse the situation in an interview with the same media outlet later in the evening.
AFP
“If you received the ball after each time you called for it… It is always the same,” he explained.
“The attacker says: “I am making runs, but it’s on the midfield.” The midfielders will say that it is on the attackers.
“Sometimes, the pass isn’t forthcoming, sometimes it is down the movement. But this is not a stigmatisation of Kylian or whoever.”
Petit, who played alongside Deschamps the last time a France side won the World Cup back in 1998, was bewildered by Giroud’s claims – especially considering his goalscoring exploits on the night.
“I think that this is something different to what I experienced when I was a player,” Petit admitted.
“You have no idea how many times you want the ball and the ball doesn’t arrive, because there are different options on the pitch.
“What Giroud said after the game surprised me a lot. This is not the kind of thing to say. He is not used to it, so we were very surprised here in France.
“The manager and Mbappe spoke to the guys in the press saying that this is football, sometimes the ball arrives, sometimes it doesn’t.
“This is the way it is on the pitch but at the end Giroud scored two goals so I don’t know why he complained afterwards.”
The former Arsenal midfielder believes a theme of arrogance in the French teammate could prove their major downfall this summer.
Petit added: “You don’t have to love each other to win games and to win competition. You just have to be professional and have the same targets.
“I’m always surprised when some players are making personal points all the time after a game and before games.
“We win together, we lose together. It’s as simple as that. The major weakness for this team is the team itself. If they rise to confidence with a little bit of arrogance that could be the main problem.
“As a French sports person I know all about this. If we believe too much in ourselves that could be the problem.
“We still have weaknesses especially in defence, even though it’s quite difficult to score against us. I mean with set-pieces, free-kicks and on the counter attack.”
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