Arsenal are walking a tightrope in December: top of the table, juggling Europe and domestic cups, yet stretched to the limit by a relentless injury crisis that threatens to define their season. The month will test not just the depth of Mikel Arteta’s squad, but the collective mentality of a team that has repeatedly fallen just short in previous title races. The perfect storm brewing December has always been the month where title dreams are either strengthened or quietly unravel, and for Arsenal this season, the stakes feel even higher. They sit in a strong position domestically and in Europe, but that success has brought a brutal schedule and a growing list of walking wounded. Mikel Arteta has warned that the fixture calendar is pushing his squad into “dangerous” territory, with key players going down one after another across league and Champions League games. When you combine this with a packed run of fixtures against physically intense opponents, December becomes less a fixture lis...
N'Golo Kante is unexpectedly recalled to the France Euro 2024 squad, although Michael Olise and Christopher Nkunku are not.
Didier Deschamps has given N'Golo Kante a surprise recall to the France squad for Euro 2024.
Les Bleus are among the favourites to win the title in Germany, but they lack a number of big names in central midfield, and they are also hampered by the injury absence of Aston Villa's Boubacar Kamara.
Kante, 33, last played for his country in the summer of 2022, but he will have the opportunity to add to his 56 caps after joining Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad last year.France has left out Chelsea attacker Christopher Nkunku after his injury-plagued debut season in west London, as well as Michael Olise, a London-born Crystal Palace winger who has previously represented the country at the juvenile level.
Axel Disasi and Malo Gusto, Nkunku's Chelsea colleagues, did not make the cut, but Premier League trio Alphonse Areola, William Saliba, and Ibrahima Konate did.Bayern Munich defender Lucas Hernandez would have made the roster, but he is out due to injury.
For the first time, Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola is listed alongside established players such as Kylian Mbappe, Olivier Giroud, and Antoine Griezmann.
Deschamps has chosen a 26-man team instantly, despite numerous other countries releasing preliminary lists ahead of the June 7 deadline to officially reveal each decision.France will play warm-up friendly against Luxembourg and Canada next month before beginning their Euro campaign against Austria on June 17, with other group games against the Netherlands and Poland.
25-player France squad - Euro 2024
Goalkeepers: Alphonse Areola (West Ham), Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Brice Samba (Lens).
Defenders: Jules Kounde (Barcelona), Jonathan Clauss (Marseille), Benjamin Pavard (Inter), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich), Theo Hernandez (AC Milan), Ferland Mendy (Real Madrid).
Midfielders: Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), Youssouf Fofana (Monaco), Adrien Rabiot (Juventus), Warren Zaire-Emery (PSG), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), N’Golo Kante (Al Ittihad).
Forwards: Bradley Barcola (PSG), Ousmane Dembele (PSG), Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich, Olivier Giroud (AC Milan), Randal Kolo Muani (PSG), Kylian Mbappe (PSG), Marcus Thuram (Inter).
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