France Boss Didier Deschamps Must Start Star Man Dimitri Payet vs. Ireland

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: June 25, 2016

commentComment        

France and the Republic of Ireland meet at Parc Olympique Lyonnais on Sunday with a place in the 2016 UEFA European Championship quarter-finals at stake.

For the hosts, the tournament is truly beginning now after a slow start. For the Irish, this is a chance for them to prolong what can already be considered a successful campaign after a 1-1 draw with Sweden in Paris and a famous 1-0 win over Italy in Lille in Group E.

Les Bleus beat Romania and Albania in their two opening Group A fixtures, but Switzerland held them to a draw in Lille in the final round of matches. It is fair to say that Didier Deschamps’ men have yet to truly arrive at their own party.



One French player who has turned up for the opening three games on home soil, though, is Dimitri Payet.

The two-time winners’ most impressive performer so far, the West Ham United star has scored two and assisted one more of the hosts’ four goals to date. If France want to go further than the round of 16, then they will need Payet to extend his group-stage form into the knockout rounds.

The 29-year-old came on as a 63rd-minute substitute against the Swiss at Stade Pierre-Mauroy, and even though he was only given 27 minutes to shine, he still managed to hit the woodwork with what would have been one of the goals of Euro 2016.

Despite Deschamps’ decision to rest his No. 8, Payet has not lost any of his form. If anything, the former Olympique de Marseille and Lille OSC man was relieved to not risk injury on a horrible pitch in Lille.

When speaking with journalists the day after the Switzerland stalemate, as reported by Associated Press (h/t ESPN FC), Payet confessed that he was pleased he did not start against Vladimir Petkovic’s men and suggested that the playing surface influenced the 0-0 score:

I'm glad I didn't play much on Lille's pitch, because it was in bad shape. It's a pit...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!