Ligue1.com – Areola: ‘The right choices’

Thursday, September 6 2018

UEFA Nations League League A, Group 1

Allianz Arena, Munich

Germany  0 – 0  France

Joachim Löw (Germany coach): “It was a pretty tactical match. We were aware that there was a special kind of pressure for this match and that the Mannschaft had to show another side of itself. And we did. We were well organised throughout the match. We never conceded a counter-attacking situation to the French and we know that this is their great strength. I’m very happy with my team’s mentality. We knew what we had to do against Kylian Mbappé on the right flank and we knew that Ousmane Dembélé could come on on the left. So it was a good solution to play with a very stable four-man back-line – it gave the players a certain security.”

Didier Deschamps (France coach): “It was a pretty closed match, even though there were chances to score. At moments, we were on top, and at others, it was them. There were a fair few mistakes made; obviously the players aren’t at peak physical condition, even though they all made a huge effort to secure this draw.  Good result? Of course it is, even though the aim was to get a win. Germany are coming out of a pretty traumatic World Cup, so they came with a lot of intensity. It’s a good result. I know that people will get greedy: the objective was to win but we got a draw in Germany. We’ll do our best to recover well because in three days’ time we’re back into it at the Stade de France. Did Alphonse Areola’s performance on debut surprise me? No. I’m very happy for him. Earning your first cap is never easy. But he grabbed the opportunity with his habitual calm. I’m very happy and proud about his performance.”

Alphonse Areola (France ‘keeper): “It’s true that I was called into action regularly throughout the match. I managed to stay focused and that was the most important thing for me, to really maintain my concentration and make the right choices.”