William Saliba had a very good season with Arsenal. He played a very important role in Arsenal’s Premier League run and thus impressed everyone. As a result he was called up by Didier Deschamps to represent France in Euro 2024. Gunners star Saliba was picked by Deschamps over Ibrahima Konate for both of the France’s starting two fixtures. Saliba continued to impress in both of the games helping France to keep clean sheet. However his performance against Netherlands has not got good reviews from some of the media outlets.
Didier Deschamps’s side has not been as effective as they were in the past. The French were able to secure a narrow 1-0 win against Austria due to an own goal scored by Austrian player. France’s starman Kylian Mbappe missed their fixture against Netherlands due to broken nose. France came very close to scoring against Dutch side but unfortunately couldn’t due to poor finishing. A lot of people felt the game was disappointing as it finished with 0-0 draw. It was in 69th minute when Xavi Simmons was able to find the back of the net due to superb shot right from the edge of the box. However the goal was denied due to offside by VAR. The decision was controversial as Dumfries never looked to obstruct Maignan. However Netherlands had to accept the denial of their goal and lot of Dutch fans felt robbed due to that.
Both of the teams were able to keep clean sheets making it a defensive masterclass. Arsenal’s William Saliba received praise from some and criticism from some.
Gunners star Saliba getting mixed reviews
Goal France praised the Arsenal man and gave him a strong rating of 7. They think that Saliba is as effective as he is for the club and thr decision of Deschamps to pick him over Konate is correct. The French outlet also praised Saliba’s interceptions and stopping Dutch side’s counter attacks.
Another positive reaction about Saliba was from GFFN. GFFN praised Saliba and said it was a faultless performance by Gunners star in the first half. They also think that Saliba’s understanding with Upamecano is increasing day by day and now has earned his spot as regular starter for the national team. The media outlet gave Saliba an above average rating of 6.
However two other outlets gave their verdicts about Saliba which were not very positive. Foot Mercato giving Saliba a rating of 5.5 said that the Arsenal star struggled to stop the offensive balls from Dutch side. They also think that Saliba faced difficulties in recoveries but also praised him for a better performance in the second half if the game.
RMC sport gave Arsenal defender rating of 6 but stated that Saliba lacks taking initiative and also lacks taking risks.
We can still see Saliba getting more and more comfortable with the upcoming time. He could be as much effective for France as he is for Arsenal once he gets comfortable and develops the trust with his teammates. France will take on Poland for their last group stage match. Didier Deschamps will hope to end the group stage on a winning note on 25th of June.
How was Saliba against Netherlands
Gunners star Saliba was able to help France receive another clean sheet just as they received against Austria. Saliba made 91 touches throughout the game and completed 85 out of 86 attempted passes. This earned the Arsenal star 99% passing accuracy.
Saliba lost the possesion only once throughout the game which is the fewest amongst everyone on the pitch. The Gunners star was able to achieve a solid rating of 7.1 by Sofascore. As tournament progresses we could see Saliba getting more praise that he deserves.
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