France coach says Mbappé’s dip in form ‘psychological, physical’

France coach Didier Deschamps said Thursday that there are both physical and psychological reasons for Kylian Mbappé’s rough patch of form.

After France drew 0-0 with Israel in the Nations League to secure a spot in the Nations League quarterfinals, Deschamps was again asked about the reasons behind the Real Madrid striker’s absence from his squad.

“It’s a fact that he is in a difficult situation,” Deschamps told broadcaster TF1. “Obviously, he is going through a period which is not the happiest of his career.”

Mbappé was not included in Deschamps’ list for the match against Israel and a game in Italy later this this week, with the France manager pleading with journalists to leave his star alone ahead of the Israel game.

Mbappé was also absent from the previous France team because of a minor thigh injury. This time he is not injured.

“He wanted to come,” Deschamps said. “I think it’s better for him [not to be selected] at the moment. Everybody can go through a difficult period. There is a physical element, and a psychological one.”

Mbappé’s performances have been below par in recent weeks after he joined Madrid from PSG this summer. He has one goal in his last seven club games and hasn’t added to his 48 goals for France since June.

Deschamps last week did not elaborate about his choice to do without Mbappé, but said it was not related to recent reports in Swedish media that the former Paris Saint-Germain star was the subject of a rape investigation in Stockholm. Mbappé’s representatives have rejected the reports as “false and irresponsible.”

Despite the lacklustre draw, France still secured at least second place in Group A2 having 10 points from five games.

“I can’t be satisfied with what we produced. We should have won. We’re capable of doing better,” Deschamps told reporters after the match.

“We could have done more against an opponent that was very compact and wasted a lot of time. We had the chances to win, but we weren’t efficient enough. There was much more energy in the second half, but we still couldn’t score.”

France will face Italy at the San Siro in Milan on Sunday in the next Nations League clash, with Deschamps unsure of his lineup.

“I don’t know. I need to take stock. Honestly, I can’t answer that right now. There will definitely be some changes,” he said.

“I’ll wait until the final training session on Saturday. Playing three days later is never easy, and there’s fatigue, which is normal and not an excuse, but the players’ bodies are under strain.”

The match was played with a record low crowd for Les Bleus at the Stade de France in a match overshadowed by frictions around the Gaza war.

“We were focused and showed a team that was determined to bring results for its country, and we want to thank the security services who protected us,” Shimon said.