Liverpool centre-back Jeremy Jacquet delivered another fantastic performance for France on Nations League duty on Friday night.
The 21-year-old made his senior debut for Les Bleus against Belgium last week and had a brilliant outing. He replicated the display with another top-notch performance against Italy at the Stade de France.
Jacquet was picked to partner Dayot Upamecano in the heart of the defence. He ended the game with Maxence Lacroix as his centre-back partner after Upamecano was sent off for two yellow card offences.
France could not beat Italy with 10 men (1-1 draw), but the French media were certainly impressed by Jacquet’s showing.
Ouest-France (page 30) wrote that Jacquet lived up to expectations and praised his ‘excellent reading’ of the game.
The publication said: “After a successful debut in Belgium, there was great anticipation to see him play again.
“He lived up to expectations, displaying an excellent reading of the game and remarkable aggression in pressing the Italians far away from his goal. His timely deflection prevented Frattesi from opening the scoring.”
A step ahead
Meanwhile, Le Figaro Sport (page 3) said that Jacquet was always ‘a step ahead’ in duels, they wrote: “Always a step ahead in duels thanks to his long limbs. The Liverpool player scored points in his second appearance in the national team jersey.”
Jacquet has been a superb signing for Liverpool since his £60 million move from Rennes this summer. He has made the right centre-back position his own and has proved a fantastic partner for Virgil van Dijk in the early part of the season.
His performances were noticed by France head coach Zinedine Zidane. Jacquet was flawless against Belgium on his debut and had another brilliant display against Italy, where he put in a strong defensive shift over the course of 90 minutes.
Jacquet completed 100% of his passes against the Azzurri, while winning 4 duels. He also made 2 recoveries, 2 clearances and 2 interceptions and lost possession on just 1 occasion.
In our view, Jacquet has made a huge impression with the national side in no time. He has capitalised on the injury absence of William Saliba and Ibrahima Konate and certainly has the credentials to become an undisputed starter in the future.
France host Belgium in their final Nations League match before the international break concludes. With Upamecano suspended, Jacquet will no doubt have a crucial role to play from the starting XI and could be accompanied by Chelsea’s Lacroix.
Other News
