Media outlets have now given their verdict on the performance that Arsenal defender William Saliba just put in for France v Poland.
France were denied the opportunity to top their Euro 2024 group on Tuesday, as they were held to a 1-1 draw by the already eliminated Poland in Dortmund.
This fixture also meant a meeting of Arsenal defenders, as William Saliba and Jakub Kiwior went head-to-head in Germany, representing France and Poland, respectively.
Saliba was once again named in the French starting XI by Didier Deschamps. Prior to the start of the tournament, the 23-year-old was not necessarily expected to feature so heavily for his country.
Deschamps has been critical of Saliba in the past, and he has only just now, at the Euros, seemingly been able to establish himself as a regular starter at international level.
Mikel Arteta and Arsenal fans will all feel that this recognition is richly deserved for the centre-back. He has been imperious for the Gunners over the course of the last two domestic campaigns. He is worthy of this opportunity to shine on the biggest stage.
Whilst Arteta has had some sympathy with Deschamps’ tough approach with Saliba, it would have been almost unjustifiable for the France boss to not give the player his chance in this competition.
Saliba certainly fared better in this match than Kiwior, who was responsible for giving away the penalty that Kylian Mbappe buried to put France ahead. The Arsenal man mistimed a challenge on Ousmane Dembele in his own box, and could have no complaints when the referee pointed to the spot.
Media rate Arsenal star William Saliba after France draw v Poland at Euro 2024
The Independent rated Saliba at a 6/10 for his display and commented: “Alongside Upamecano was a beacon of defensive stability dealing with crosses into the box on the rare occasions Poland flourished on the counter-attack.”
Meanwhile, Goal were more complimentary, offering the 17-cap international a 7/10 score and adding: “Made amends for completely losing Lewandowski by getting a block on the striker’s downward header. Typically impressive in possession. Deserves a more reliable central defensive partner.”
Saliba will certainly feel that he has done enough over the course of the group stage phase to keep his place in the team into the knockout rounds. However, France will need to improve dramatically as a team overall if they are to progress as far at Euro 2024 as many will have expected them to.
Arsenal winners and losers at Euro 2024
In this week’s episode, Will Jones and Rahul Lakhani discussed the first few days of the European Championships. With Arsenal players such as Kai Havertz and Kieran Tierney experiencing mixed starts to the tournament, the pair assessed which Gunners were the winners and losers from the group stages so far.
There was some talk about transfers based off the Euros, with Arsenal-linked Amadou Onana’s display for Belgium discussed, whilst Leandro Trossard’s poor performance was analysed, and Bukayo Saka’s sensational England showing lauded.