Man City performance PROOF Deschamps is wrong about Saliba

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 31 Mar 2024 13:03 CDT
• 3 min read

During Arsenal’s 0-0 draw against Manchester City on Sunday afternoon, William Saliba proved just why Didier Deschamps would be foolish to snub the Arsenal defender once again this summer.

Saliba is widely considered to be one of the very best centre-backs in world football, but he has always struggled for game time while on France duty.

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At the 2022 World Cup, the Arsenal man played just 27 minutes as France reached the final, while he has only started three of the last 19 internationals.

Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konate have often been preferred in recent times, but Saliba should be at the front and centre of France’s push for European Championship glory in Germany.

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Why William Saliba should be an automatic starter for France

Saliba was Arsenal’s standout performer against Man City, and was handed a 7.2 match rating by FootballCritic - the highest of any Gunners player. He was also named Man of the Match by Gary Neville after limiting Erling Haaland to just 23 touches and zero shots on target.

Saliba made five clearances and three tackles, won all six of his attempted ground duels and wasn’t dribbled past once.

The Frenchman is clearly Virgil van Dijk’s heir as the best centre-back in the Premier League and he may well have already exceeded the Dutchman.

His competitors at international level are very talented players, but Saliba is a class above and should be one of the first names on Deschamps’ team sheet at this summer’s Euros.

However, Saliba’s international career is yet to take off and the Arsenal man may well be unfairly snubbed for the error-prone Upamecano, who has recently been dropped for Eric Dier at Bayern Munich.

Saliba should’ve been a regular starter for France since his incredible loan spell at Marseille, but he has never been fully trusted by Deschamps. However, that must change if France want to maximise their potential at Euro 2024.