France midfielder Adrien Rabiot raised concerns about the quality of the pitch at the New York/New Jersey stadium.
France midfielder Adrien Rabiot raised concerns about the quality of the pitch at the New York/New Jersey stadium after their 3-1 win over Senegal on Tuesday, echoing Brazil forward Vinicius Jr’s frustration with the dryness of the surface.
Rabiot, who bagged an assist in France’s Group I opener, said the ground set to host the World Cup final in July felt less like a real pitch and more like an artificial surface.
“The pitch… I don’t even know if you can call it that. It felt more like an artificial surface — quite hard and quite rigid,” Rabiot told reporters.
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Meanwhile, France coach Didier Deschamps called the pitch a “special surface” when asked about it in a press conference.
“I think there’s probably concrete underneath, it’s very short fibres,” Deschamps said.
The pitch felt different from last year’s FIFA Club World Cup, also played at the New York/New Jersey stadium, Deschamps added. “The bounce is a bit different,” he said, adding that his side are adjusting to the conditions.
Brazil’s Vinicius had also earlier voiced concerns about the dryness of the pitch after his side were held to a 1-1 draw by Morocco in the first match played at the stadium on Saturday.
“In the second half, with the heat, the pitch dries out very quickly. The game becomes very sluggish and we can’t get into our rhythm,” Vinicius had said.
Meanwhile, Deschamps admitted he delivered some home truths to his players at halftime during their 3-1 World Cup victory over Senegal on Tuesday, after a lifeless opening 45 minutes.
France looked sleepy in the first half and were lucky not to go behind, with Senegal’s Ismaila Sarr missing a great chance from close range to leave the match goalless at the break. But they revived in the second half, with Kylian Mbappe scoring twice.
Deschamps acknowledged they made a lot of mistakes in their Group I opener in New Jersey, but he added that he was happy with the team set-up and the choices he made.
He flagged in particular his decision to bring on substitute Bradley Barcola, who scored France’s second goal in the 82nd minute, and to change the position of Michael Olise into more of a playmaking role in the second half.
“I am frank with my players,” Deschamps said. “We didn’t have the best first half, we could do better on many levels. I don’t shout but I do give a piece of my mind, they have to make the right decisions.”
Deschamps praised Mbappe, whose two goals made him France’s all-time leading scorer.
“People will still criticise him but he’s an iconic player, I’ve always said that. With one action he is able to tip the scales and bring his team to victory,” he said.
Deschamps pushed back against criticism that Mbappe does not do enough in defence.
“He’s not here to defend,” he said. “If he wants to miss the first half and score two goals in the second that’s ok with me.”
The match helped dispel a cloud that had hung over France since 2002, when the then-champions lost to Senegal in their opening game and never recovered their mojo, crashing out in the group stage.
