Gourcuff, the last comeback

While he had a string of injuries since his arrival at Olympique Lyonnais three years earlier, Yoann Gourcuff only needed a few good matches in the spring of 2013 to convince Didier Deschamps to call him back to the France team. One year before the World Cup to be played in Brazil in the summer of 2014, the French coach has indeed decided to call him up for the preparatory tour in South America, with two matches against Uruguay and Brazil. in the program.

“Yoann Gourcuff has come back well, he is performing well with Lyon. He found his legs. His footballing quality, he has always had it, he was above all bothered by repeated injuries. He can bring a lot of things on the technical level. This selection allows me to see him again,” justified the former captain of the Blues at a press conference. It remains to be seen in what role Didier Deschamps intends to use the Breton playmaker.

He sacrificed himself in the service of the team

Because if the native of Ploemeur shines, it is in an unusual role of left midfielder. « He has held this position before. This behavior in the service of the team is exceptional. I count on him. He sacrificed himself in the service of the team and he is now very close to his level at Bordeaux. Yoann is under constant pressure. He needs normality. He’s a very simple person…», said of him Rémi Garde, his trainer at Les Gones. ” Nothing is excluded. He is able to play on one side with different qualities. He prefers to play in the axis, but all circles will say the same thing. You have to find a balance. Valbuena and Nasri are also required to be called upon for several positions,” warned the Basque technician, still in search of certainties.

Discarded by Laurent Blanc just before Euro 2012, Yoann Gourcuff had already been summoned by Didier Deschamps for the friendly match in November against Italy (1-2), having nevertheless to settle for an entry into play for the last quarter of an hour to replace Mathieu Valbuena.