Olivier Giroud criticises Karim Benzema’s France return

The decision to bring Real Madrid captain Karim Benzema back into the France squad has been criticised by Les Bleus star Olivier Giroud.

France head coach Didier Deschamps opted to controversially recall Benzema back into his squad ahead of Euro 2020 after a six year hiatus from the national team.

Deschamps’ decision was criticised and praised by a split French fanbase as his goals at Real Madrid in 2020/21 ensured a starting role during the summer for the 33-year-old.

Benzema netted four goals at Euro 2020, and scored in both the semi final and final of the 2020/21 UEFA Nations League, but Giroud believes his comeback has been an overall negative.

“I have nothing against Karim”, as per reports from Mundo Deportivo.

“But his return to the national team has created a tactical imbalance and in our way of playing.

“It was something evident in some games, which luckily could alleviate quickly, as we saw in the Nations League (with France beating Spain 2-1).

“But maybe we also need time to make this adaptation.

“In spite of the issues, Karim has revolutionised our way of attacking, and any change cannot happen overnight, especially in a tournament as important as the European Championships.”

AC Milan hitman Giroud has been omitted from the France squad for their final 2022 World Cup qualifiers this month but Deschamps has retained Benzema.

France face Kazakhstan and Finland in the coming days with the defending world champions needing just a single point to clinch top spot in Group D and an automatic place in Qatar in 2022.

 

Tags AC Milan Didier Deschamps Karim Benzema Olivier Giroud

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