Doha, Dec 9: The France team is not all about Kylian Mbappé but there is much more to it than just the striker, says coach Didier Deschamps as they head into Saturday’s crunch quarterfinal match of the FIFA World Cup against England.
“I’m sure England will have prepared to face Kylian as our previous opponents did, but he’s in a position to make the difference,” Deschamps said at a press conference on Friday.
Deschamps dismissed the idea that France rely too heavily on the Paris Saint-Germain forward, who has now scored 250 goals for club and country.
“We have other players that can be dangerous as well, so that helps us not be over-dependent on Kylian. But Kylian is Kylian, and he has that capacity to make a difference at any moment.”
Mbappé has been in sparkling form at the Qatar World Cup and is the top scorer in the competition with five goals from four appearances.
The 23-year-old’s double in the last-16 win over Poland has taken his tally of World Cup goals to nine, as many as Lionel Messi and more than Cristiano Ronaldo. (IANS)
