Deschamps praises Olise following win against Ukraine: "He really brings us a lot"
| Michael Olise celebrates scoring the opening goal for France against Ukraine, 5. September 2025. | (Photo by Mateusz Slodkowski / Getty Images) |
French national team coach Didier Deschamps spoke on the TF1 broadcast yesterday evening, following Les Bleus' 2-0 victory against Ukraine in Wrocław, Poland. He notably praised England-born and FC Bayern München winger/attacking midfielder Michael Olise, who scored the opening goal in the tenth minute.
“Michael is brilliant. He is technically gifted, he runs a lot, he is smart in his movements. He has everything that we need", Deschamps said.
The 56-year-old from Bayonne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, who has won the FIFA World Cup both as a player and coach, added: “He is doing very good things at Bayern and with us too. Of course, it took him slightly longer with us, but he has always had the quality.”
He concluded by saying: “It is good for us since he brings a lot to our team; he is capable of playing on the right, in the central areas and on the left. Additionally, he makes very technically sound decisions - he sees certain things before the others and he really brings us a lot.”
Olise started in the CAM position within Deschamps' 4-2-3-1 for France, playing 89 minutes before being replaced by debutant Maghnes Akliouche. He finished 44/50 in passing, with an 88% success rate; additionally, he was 1/3 in terms of long ball accuracy, 1/3 in terms of dribble attempts, and 5/8 on ground duels.
He will likely be making another start in France's upcoming qualifier against Iceland, with kickoff at the Parc des Princes in Paris set for 20:45 (CET) on Tuesday.
