The defending world champions are hoping to atone for their early exit from the Euro championship last year by winning the tournament in Qatar, and France midfielder Adrien Rabiot complimented their preparation for the tournament on Friday. Rabiot, who is playing in his first World Cup after being left off the team that won the championship four years ago, said the team was allowed to train without interruptions in Doha, Qatar, which had not been the case the previous year.
“The most crucial thing is that we must continue to be one. Therefore, we don’t search outside the group for issues that can lower our spirits. Before their initial World Cup encounter against Australia on November 22, Rabiot observed, “We have the capacity to do better than we did in the Euro.
“It’s true that this time around, we have a lot more luxury. We are confined to this little bubble. It was mid-COVID with many limitations in the Euro, which made daily living challenging.
The world champions lost to Switzerland in the round of 16 in the previous Euros, and they were eliminated.
“We can all remain here and try to forget anything for the outside,” he added. “We received a lot of comfort here.”
Presnel Kimpembe, Paul Pogba, and Ngolo Kante are among the injured players for France; forwards Karim Benzema and Raphael Varane are still with the team but are nursing ailments.
They are working on it, and I have faith that they will join us shortly. Before we gathered, there were additional injuries outside of the group. They are significant participants, but regrettably they are not present today, so we must proceed without them, said Rabiot.
Rabiot is seeking “revenge” after losing out on the four-year trophy streak in his World Cup debut. Rabiot famously turned down a spot as a backup for the World Cup team in 2018. His coach Didier Deschamps called the player’s decision at the time a “huge error” before bringing him back in 2020. In their Group D matchups, France also faces Tunisia and Denmark.
“I was quite disappointed that I was not chosen for the 2018 World Cup. I perceive it as retaliation. I’m happy to be here. We are eager to make it to the final because we have the possibility to accomplish something historic, he remarked.