Arsenal star fails to take chance for his country after ‘strange’ manager criticism

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William Saliba has been outstanding for Arsenal all season, but is facing frustration over his place in the France National Team.

Manager Didier Deschamps launched a bizarre criticism of the 23-year-old, claiming that there were aspects of the defender’s game which he disliked, but did then hand him a start in France’s friendly victory over Chile.

This was a good chance for Saliba to prove why he should be handed a starting spot in the European Championships, but this rare opportunity was not taken.

Although France won 3-2, it was not a straightforward game, and the Blues did struggle at the back at times.

William Saliba fails France audition after Deschamps criticism

Although he had some good moments during the game, with a last-ditch tackle on Ben Brereton-Diaz in the late stages of the game a particular highlight, Saliba was far from his composed self.

GOAL gave him a 6/10 rating for the match, and highlighted how he failed to answer Deschamps’ criticism.

“Offered a rare start after Deschamps’ criticism earlier in the week and hard to say he properly took it,” they stated.

“Arguably should have scored from a first-half corner and was caught napping at the back at times. That said, he denied Brereton-Diaz at the death with a stunning last-ditch challenge.”

Was Deschamps’ criticism of Saliba justified?

One game in which Saliba was not at his best does not change the fact that he has been one of the best centre-backs in Europe this season.

Deschamps claimed that Saliba often lacks calmness for France, which is bizarre given his remarkable composure for Arsenal.

The manager’s comments were described as “strange,” and given his high-performance levels in these last two seasons, perhaps the problem for France lies elsewhere.

If Saliba is given more time to fully adapt to a settled back four with France, there is no doubt that he will shine, but if Deschamps continues to leave him out of the team sporadically, then he will only be doing his own side a disservice.

Although France have a lot of top defenders at their disposal, Saliba is arguably the best of them all, given that he has been a crucial part of an Arsenal backline which currently sits top of the Premier League with the best defensive record.