Criticism of Koundé in France

Despite not being available for Hansi Flick, the French player traveled normally to the French national team´s camp and this Thursday started in the match that Didier Deschamps´ team played against Ukraine at the Parc des Princes. He did so even without having trained with the rest of his teammates two days before the match. The Barça player was on the pitch for 89 minutes in France´s 4-0 thrashing, with a brace from Mbappé —one of them scored Panenka-style from the penalty spot— and goals from Olise and Ekitike. With this result, the French national team secured their ticket to the next World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Koundé, substituted in the final moments by Malo Gusto, did not show his best version and has received various criticisms in his country. The newspaper ´L´Equipe´ rated him poorly and expressed that he appears to be out of shape. It is likely that the discomfort that prevented him from playing in Vigo affected his performance. Additionally, in France, they also point out that Malo Gusto may offer a greater offensive contribution than the Barça player. With qualification secured, it remains to be seen if Deschamps decides to keep Koundé in the starting eleven for the last qualifying match against Azerbaijan. A rest could be beneficial for him to fully recover his sensations and arrive in optimal condition for the next league match against Athletic on Saturday. Koundé has also not had a particularly bright start to the season with the Barça shirt. In the early matches, it was Eric Garcia who took on the role of right back. Nevertheless, the Frenchman has only missed one match so far this season with Hansi Flick, precisely the one in Vigo. However, in three of the matches played, he has started from the bench.