Olise named man of the match against Senegal, Deschamps validates his repositioning in midfield

Michael Olise was named man of the match after France’s victory over Senegal (3-1), overshadowing Kylian Mbappé despite the latter’s brace. A choice endorsed by Didier Deschamps, who made a decisive tactical change at half-time.

After a sluggish first half, the French manager repositioned the former Crystal Palace player in the heart of midfield, moving Ousmane Dembélé to the right flank. The transformation was immediate: France scored three goals in the second half to overturn Senegal.

“In the second half, we were much better with Michael’s positioning at the heart of the game, it brought much more cohesion,” Deschamps explained. The Basque coach detailed the difference between the two roles offered by the Bayern Munich player: “When Michael is high on the right, he has the ability to break through, but when he can position himself between the lines, between defence and midfield, his passing quality allowed us to find our attackers.”

Deschamps also clarified the reasons for his tactical choice: “I did it because I thought it would bring us more cohesion. Michael has the ability to play on both sides, but the more he touches the ball, the better. We had more danger and Kylian’s efficiency which helps us.”

France’s players also cited Deschamps’ half-time speech as a determining factor in their turnaround. The victory comes the day after Spain, another major tournament favourite, drew with Cape Verde.