France coach Didier Deschamps said Kylian Mbappe needs more support from teammates after they lost 2-0 to Denmark in the Nations League on Sunday. Mbappe, who scored in a 2-0 win over Austria on Thursday, forced Danish keeper Kasper Schmeichel into a couple of saves but was unable to get on the scoresheet as Kasper Dolberg and Andreas Skov Olsen gave the hosts victory.
“Kylian did a lot of good things,” Deschamps told reporters. “He is one of the few players who has played two 90 minutes in three days.
“He can’t do everything by himself either. He was more decisive, like the whole team, three days ago, it does not worry me. I’m not going to worry about Kylian. He also needs the others.”
Earlier, the France manager called on Paris Saint-Germain to limit his playing time. Mbappe had made 10 appearances in all competitions for PSG so far this season before joining up with the France squad.
“I know he (PSG coach Christophe Galtier) still wants to play Kylian,” Deschamps told Telefoot. “But from time to time: to be able to breathe a little bit, to have a few good minutes less, it won’t fail him, quite the contrary.”
Van Gaal bullish The victory over Belgium did not best please Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal but he feels his side are well set for the World Cup in November. The Dutch edged their neighbours 1-0 at the Amsterdam Arena to ensure top spot in their group and a berth in next June’s finals tournament, but their more immediate objective is the global showpiece tournament in Qatar. “I assume that we will do better in possession at the World Cup,” Van Gaal told a news conference.
“We were not very good against Belgium although without possession I thought we did well.” He admitted Belgium had the better of the game. “That had to do with the form of the day and the quality of the opponent. Belgium is the No. 2 in the world rankings for a reason. And it’s unbelievable that we have beaten them twice.”
The Netherlands also won 4-1 in Brussels in June, finishing six points clear at the top of their Nations League group. Kylian Mbappe.
(Written with inputs from Reuters)
