‘Sometimes it takes a little time’ – Didier Deschamps praises Michael Olise’s progress for France | OneFootball

Michael Olise (23) finally made his mark for Les Bleus yesterday evening as he put in a star performance as the attacking midfielder scoring and assisting to help France progress past Croatia in the Nations League quarter-final.

It was Olise’s first goal in his national team colours and broke a 17-year barren patch as it was the first direct freekick that the nation have scored in a competitive match since October 2007 (Jérôme Rothen against the Faroe Islands in a 2008 Euros qualifier).

The Bayern Munich forward had struggled to make much of an impact in his five previous appearances for his national team, and there had been reports that the language barrier was causing him a stumbling block in forming a close relationship with his manager Didier Deschamps (Olise was born and raised in England and does not currently speak French fluently).

Last night, these concerns were put to bed as Olise earned the praise of his head coach and teammates. In his post-match comments, Deschamps declared “He has a lot of qualities and he has progressed a lot. He was brilliant.” He continued, “Sometimes it takes a little time. But he has established a relationship with the front three. I’m happy for him. This suggests more to come. He will gain confidence.”

Aurélien Tchouaméni (25) echoed the World Cup-winning manager stating, “His performance didn’t surprise me because I watch Bayern matches. In training, he’s showing the full extent of his talent. He simply needed a little time to show his ability and today he had a great match.”

GFFN | Nick Hartland