Euro 2016: Payet To Be Cosseted And Coddled As Never Before

Les Bleus coach, Didier Deschamps says he will do his utmost to put Dimitri Payet out of harm’s way ahead of the Euro 2016 host’s next two group matches.

“I’ll put him on ice ahead of the next few matches to make sure that nothing untoward befalls him.” Deschamps intoned.

Payet’s 89^th minute goal provided the national catharsis the French fans needed to hold their fears at bay amid all the security precautions. And to the team- the crucial 3 points needed to stay in the championship. France won the opening match against Romania by 2- 1. But Payet, the West Ham Winger attracted all the kudos for his touchstone performance in the first match of the tournament at the Stade de France.

As the spark plug of the France team, Deschamps decided to keep him safe, so he substituted him in the first minute of stoppage time. According to Payet:“There was so much stress and pressure that if someone had told me it would be like that, I wouldn’t have believed it. At the end, when I left the pitch, all that emotion just came out.”

At the end of the match Payet was voted man of the match, but Deschamps said he never doubted his ability on the pitch.

“I’ve never had any doubts about his ability to make a difference. He is an attacking player but one who also works to help out the team. Also, when you can bang the ball like that, into the top corner, it can solve an awful lot of problems.”

This makes Dimitri a hot property the whole of France will coddle in the ongoing Championship.