“How is this legal”, “This dude has 50 players to choose from” – France fans fume at Didier Deschamps for naming 2 players in starting line-up against Croatia

France clash with Croatia in the UEFA Nations League on June 6 but fans of Les Bleus are bemused by Didier Deschamps' team selection.

The France boss has gone with Bayern Munich's Benjamin Pavard at right-back and Juventus' Adrien Rabiot in midfield.

The inclusion of those two has drawn the ire of fans who are less than pleased to see the duo be part of the starting XI against Croatia.

It has been a difficult season for Rabiot at Juventus, who continues to somewhat struggle for form in Turin. He made 45 appearances for Juve last campaign, providing two assists.

He has been linked with a departure from the Old Lady, with Premier League side Newcastle United reportedly interested (per JuveFC).

Meanwhile, Parvard continues to be a starter at Bayern, making 35 appearances and contributing two assists. But the emerging talent of the likes of RB Leipzig right-back Nordi Mukiele and RC Lens' Jonathan Clauss, is plunging his place in the French squad into question.

Here are some reactions from Twitter on Deschamps’ decision to start the duo against Croatia:

France perhaps boast the strongest squad heading into the 2022 FIFA World Cup

The talent at Didier Deschamps' disposal is ever growing, with France boasting great depth in pretty much every position. It's a huge reason as to why so many are touting them as favorites for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

They have the likes of Tottenham Hotspur's Hugo Lloris and AC Milan's Mike Maignan contending for the starting goalkeeper spot.

At full-back, Aston Villa's Lucas Digne, Bayern's Lucas Hernandez, Milan's Theo Hernandez along with Pavard and Clauss are all contending for starting berths.

The French side possess the likes of Sevilla defender Jules Kounde, Paris Saint-Germain's Presnel Kimpembe, Manchester United's Raphael Varane and Bayern's Dayot Upamecano at centre-back.

Their midfield is just as frightening with the likes of Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kante, Real Madrid target Aurelien Tchouameni and current star Eduardo Camavinga.

In attack, they have a fantastic four in PSG's Kylian Mbappe, Madrid star Karim Benzema, Leipzig's Christopher Nkunku and Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann.

Add in the likes of Boubacar Kamara, Kingsley Coman and Wissam Ben Yedder and it's clear as to why France will be the team to beat in Qatar.

But the UEFA Nations League gives Deschamps a chance to tinker with his squad ahead of the World Cup. This has given fringe players like Ben Yedder and upcoming stars like Matteo Guendouzi opportunities to shine.

About the author

Matthew is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who has been covering news, rumors and match reports for close to 3 years. Learning creative writing from University of Essex, he combined his skills and passion for football take up writing for the sport professionally.

Matthew always strives to go beyond a story and offer unique and lesser-known insights, while maintaining an unbiased tone in his articles. His reporting exploits at the company have helped him gain a humungous readership of 25 million, with one of his articles raking in a whopping 724,000 reads.

A Manchester United fan since childhood, Matthew admired Sir Alex Ferguson for his loyalty and brave coaching style. His favorite footballer is Thierry Henry, believing the Frenchman to be uniquely talented and charismatic. An ardent Three Lions fan, England's penalty shootout win over Colombia in 2018 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment of all time, and he believes that Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe will have a Ballon d’Or duopoly after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

He also follows his local EFL League Two clubs AFC Wimbledon and Sutton United, and spends his free time watching and writing about professional wrestling. He also likes to work out, watch movies and go for night outs.

Know More