Arsenal defender William Saliba has been honestly rated by the infamous French paper L’Equipe after France’s 1-0 win against Austria at Euro 2024.
The 23-year-old defender was surprisingly named in the starting XI by Didier Deschamps as Saliba started alongside Bayern Munich centre-back Dayot Upamecano, with the Arsenal star replacing Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate.
Having impressed in the final friendly before the Euros, Saliba making the first French XI of the competition has come as a surprise for many fans, mainly due to Deschamps’ previous opinions on the former Saint-Etienne star.
And L’Equipe have now given their verdict on Saliba’s performance against Austria.
Saliba praised for ‘big’ performance for France in 1-0 win vs Austria
Whilst L’Equipe can be brutal in their assessment of players, Saliba was praised by the French paper for his ‘big’ performance for Les Bleus against Austria, with the defender keeping a clean sheet in France’s Euros opener.
Hailed for his ‘dominant’ approach in duels, Saliba was overall impressive in Dusseldorf against Ralf Rangnick’s side, even if there were some nervy moments against an Austria side who knew how to get at France and their weak spots.
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Indeed, Saliba was one of Arsenal’s best players this season in their bid to win the Premier League title, with the French defender enjoying a record-breaking year under Arteta, as the Gunners came just shy of the English championship.
And Arsenal fans will be proud to see Saliba performing for his country at the Euros, where the 23-year-old has shown in recent months that he is now one of the best central defenders in the world and the future of France’s backline.
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Even after a season as good as the one Saliba has just had, there’s still a feeling amongst general football fans that the Arsenal defender still has something to prove to show his world-class credentials.
Yet last night’s performance for France at the Euros more than proved that, with Saliba imperious at the back for the European giants as the defender impressed in what might have been the most important international game of his career to date.
Keeping a clean sheet will likely keep Saliba in the starting XI for the remainder of the group, and given the quality France have in their squad, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the defender went all the way with Les Bleus this summer.
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