Deschamps claims Saliba struggles to replicate club form for France

France manager Didier Deschamps says that William Saliba performs at a higher level when playing for Arsenal than for the national team.

The defender is widely recognised as one of the top centre-backs in club football, and his impactful performances nearly propelled Arsenal to a Premier League title last season. Unfortunately, the Gunners’ title challenge faltered after Saliba suffered an injury.

While Saliba was part of the France squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the national team boasts several centre-back options, making it challenging for the defender to secure regular playing time.

Deschamps has observed that Saliba’s performances for the national team don’t match the level he achieves with Arsenal in the Premier League. Despite being in the international setup during the current break, Saliba continues to face challenges, and his struggles have been commented upon by his national team boss.

Deschamps said, as quoted by the Daily Mail:

‘He hasn’t had a lot of game time with us. He is performing well for his club.

‘At international level, he hasn’t always found himself in the best conditions in matches where I’ve rotated a lot. He isn’t in the same psychological situation with his club, where he doesn’t ask himself if he’ll play at the weekend. 

‘When he has game time with us, he tells himself he needs to play well because there are others behind him. ‘

Just Arsenal Opinion

Saliba has been superb for us for much of this season and it is baffling that he does not perform well for France.

But he is still young and his time will come for him to be prominent on the international stage.