[Observation] Without Mbappe and Dembélé, will Thauvin support France’s new striker?

Sports Weekly All-Media Reporter Wang Qinbo

The French team set off for Iceland on the afternoon of Saturday, October 11, but lost captain Mbappe. Mbappe was allowed to return to Real Madrid early due to a right ankle injury. This incident made Deschamps quite embarrassed. He also said at the opening of the national team camp that Mbappe had a slight injury, but it was not enough to require him to return.

Mbappe is in the best period of his career. He has scored in the past 10 club and national team games, which is the best consecutive scoring record of his career. Since Deschamps is also missing Dembélé, Douai, Barkola, Marcus Thuram and Shirki, he faces an unprecedented challenge in Iceland this time - the national team roster that he has been accustomed to for a long time, almost all the main and substitute forwards are absent.

In Deschamps' current lineup, except for Comang, who has played 60 times, the other six available offensive players have not played more than 15 times for the national team. And Comang has now gone to Saudi Arabia. Whether he can continue to be on the national team roster in the future is in question. He performed poorly against Azerbaijan and could be a substitute against Iceland.

Liverpool forward Ekitic is undoubtedly the favorite to lead the front line. He was considered by the French media to be a marginal player on Deschamps' list, as the presence of Kylian Mbappe and Dembele would make it difficult for him to gain a spot in the center. But Ekitic is now likely to make his second consecutive start in the October slot. It's also an opportunity for the Liverpool forward to make amends after he wasted so many chances against Azerbaijan.

Two "returners" Towan and Nkunku may get opportunities. Especially Thauvan, after he came on as a substitute in the game against Azerbaijan, he planned the attack and scored the final goal when he got the ball for the first time. If Ekitic's lack of experience is taken into account, the 32-year-old Towan may be entrusted with an important task to plan the offense together with Olise, and Towan's position will take priority over Aklioushe.

The French media focused on Thauvin's miraculous comeback in the French team this weekend. He was originally expected to be called up last autumn due to his outstanding performance at Udinese, but an unexpected injury delayed his return to the French team. After joining Lens in the summer of 2025, Thauvin was not immediately called by Deschamps. During the national team's schedule in October, Barcola was injured and absent, so Deschamps called Thauvin temporarily.

Tauwan brought his whole family to the stadium. According to Deschamps' original plan, he will probably not play. But Mbappe was injured unexpectedly, which gave Thauwan a chance. He scored immediately as soon as he came on. This is the first time that the 32-year-old Thauvin has put on the French team jersey since the match against Andorra (4-0) on June 11, 2019. It is also the second goal of his national team career. It has been 6 years and 3 months since the last goal. Less than a minute before this goal, the audience was still collectively booing him because his status as a former Marseille player was very unpopular at the Parc des Princes.

Thauvin was very happy after the game, "I was as happy as a child. Scoring when my son watched me play for the French team for the first time was a very important moment for me and my family. I dreamed of this moment, and I always told myself that if I had the opportunity to come back, I would I will go all out to perform and score goals. "My greatest pride is never giving up."

When the 28-year-old Thauvin chose to leave Marseille to seek gold in the Mexican League, many people thought that his career would go downhill from then on until he retired. Surprisingly, Thauvan joined the northeastern Italian team Udinese in the summer of 2023. After half a year of being unacclimated, he found a sense of rebirth in this small northern Italian city and became the leader of Udinese. Finally, he was invited by Lens to return to the French Ligue 1.

Thauvin welcomes new life in Udinese.

Hefron Thuram, who plays for Juventus, said, "Tovan is a role model for everyone, especially in daily interactions and seeing him working so hard. He will take the initiative to communicate with young people and care about their status. I met him in Serie A last year He knows what kind of player he is, and I am not surprised to see him at this level."

Lens sports manager Leica is the main promoter of Thauvin's return to Ligue 1 in the summer of 2025. Now Thauvin's jersey sales are the first in the team. Leica told "Le Parisien" that Thauvin has returned to his best form during his time in Serie A, which is the most important reason why Lens signed him. "We did not sign him to show off the player's resume, but we need someone who can help us win. We think Flo will return to his peak in Serie A." Finally, he is the right person... He has unparalleled professionalism. He is a role model for young and old players, always in the gym, eating well, pushing himself very hard, always pushing the club forward. We are lucky, really lucky, to have a player like Tovan, who is. The ‘Mr. Clutch’ that won us the game. Such players are very rare in the team. "

Leka believes that Thauvan is better now than in the past and can provide important help to Deschamps' national team with his experience and can work hard to participate in the 2026 World Cup. "He can calmly handle big scenes, which can bring a sense of security to the team. France have great players now, but they lack Thauvin's experience. In key games, his ability to stabilize and reassure his teammates, allowing them to develop their talents with peace of mind, is priceless. ”