Doug phoned from Antibes on Sunday morning.
He said, “The big news is that Umtiti’s playing.”
Adil Rami is suspended and Koscielny’s centreback partner will be Sam Umtiti of Lyon.
Born in Cameroon, Umtiti has been playing for France since 2009 and has moved through all the age groups from Under-17s to Under-21s.
He’s a terrific athlete with exceptional recovery pace.
Like Spain and Portugal, France is a producer nation that nourishes players from a young age and does it sensibly.
This is Umtiti’s his first senior cap.
Doug said, “He’s going to Barcelona for 25m euros.”
Couldn’t find the Umtiti story in Nice Matin though. Proves, again, that I’m not a good searcher.
Tonight’s France-Iceland match?
Can’t wait to see Dimitri Payet & Antoine Griezmann & Paul Pogba, three dynamic footballers.
All the pressure is on France. That’s why little Iceland have a chance.