Team France: Benzema out and Giroud in
Q. Olivier Giroud has not been on the French team's list since the Euros. He's back, but only after Karim Benzema's withdrawal. Does this mean that for reasons on or off the pitch, it is easier one or the other than both?
"Good question if I may say so. It's not a question of relationships, although of course there is competition. I don't think 'if it's Karim, it's not Olivier'. It goes further than that because of the history there may have been. It's always very difficult when a player has a status. A status that he has deserved. If his status changes and he's still there, it's very difficult, if not impossible. He is a human. When you are used to being at 100 per cent, if you go to 20, 30, 40 or 50 [playing time], it's [difficult to live with]. It's not specific to Olivier, there have been others before. It's very, very difficult to live with. When you have something that has become a given because the player has earned it, I repeat, it is very complicated.”