On the eve of France's upcoming Europa League semi-final against Spain, France's central midfielder Rabio attended a press conference to give his views on a number of topics.
First, Rabiot emphasized the importance of the team, noting that even with world-class players like Griezmann and Mbappe, the team always puts the team first. He argued that it was the team's collaboration and effort that allowed France to reach the semi-finals of the tournament. On the form of Griezmann and Mbappe, Rabio said they may have been slightly tired at some points, but the team's task was to push them and have confidence in them. He believes both players can change the situation at any given time and have that special ability.
Speaking about the results of the French election, Rabio said that the team didn't watch the results together, but everyone was very concerned about the topic. He believes that politics and sports don't mix and called on people to go to the polls and respect democratic decisions. Regarding Mbappe's comments about Pogba, Rabio said that it doesn't affect the atmosphere of the team because every player has his own characteristics and needs to adapt to each other.
Regarding the impact of Deschamps' tactical announcements at a very late stage, Rabio believes that it is more to do with the media and the outside world, and that the high level players within the squad are capable of adapting to any tactical arrangement. Referring to Griezmann's form, he said that although Griezmann performed well in the last World Cup, the team expects more from him and hopes that he will be at his best in this Euro.
Speaking about the penalty shootout, Rabio revealed that he felt so nervous watching from the stands that he even cramped up. He emphasized how the players did not want to go through a penalty shootout, but said that the team's victory in the shootout was a huge reward.
On Spain's strengths, Rabio said that the Spanish team is one of the best performing teams in the tournament, controlling the ball and staying true to their style of play. However, the French team is confident about the upcoming challenge and knows what it must do well to counter Spain's strengths and weaknesses.
In addition, Rabio singled out the importance of players like Teo Hernandez and Yamal. He believes that Teo plays an integral role in the team and works well with the backline and Mbappe on the left. Yamal, on the other hand, is able to cope well with pressure and play well in big tournaments.
Finally, Rabio mentioned the motivation for the 2022 World Cup loss. He stated that that final loss was very important for the team and one of the motivations for them to be able to stand on the Europa League semifinal stage now. Most of the players in the team experienced that loss but they have bounced back from it and performed well in the qualifiers. Now, their goal is to win and move on.
