William Saliba has admitted there is more pressure playing for France in the World Cup than there is for Arsenal.
The 21-year-old made his debut on the biggest stage as a substitute in France's 1-0 defeat against Tunisia on Wednesday evening. He came on in the 63rd minute for Raphael Varane, and with Didier Deschamps' side already losing at that point, Saliba didn't concede when he was on the pitch.
Despite falling a rather disappointing defeat at the Education City Stadium, France still topped Group D ahead of Australia, who finished second, while Tunisia sat in third and Denmark at the bottom. It means France will face Poland in their last 16 clash on Sunday after they finished second in Group C.
Ahead of the game, Saliba spoke to the press about a number of topics but was asked about his side's defeat against Tunisia and he decided to turn that towards how much pressure there is to play for France. Saliba has been capped eight times for his country since making his debut earlier this year.
He said: "We didn’t have a good game, we weren’t good. But we need to get over it. There’s more pressure in playing for your country than for your club."
Saliba isn't expected to feature for France in their crucial knockout tie, with Jules Kounde, Raphael Varane and Dayot Upamecano all expected to be ahead of him in the defensive pecking order. But it is up front where France have the most excitement with Kylian Mbappe firing on all cylinders, having grabbed three goals so far.
Teammate Antoine Griezmann claimed Mbappe has grown into a leader of the France team since their 2018 World Cup triumph. Mbappe won the FIFA World Cup Best Young Player award in Russia after scoring four goals as a teenager. Now 23, he earns the same salary as Lionel Messi and Neymar.
"Kylian, in 2018, was not the same player," said Greizmann. "He did not have the same personality.
"We see him a lot more in the group, in training, he talks a lot, he brings his joie de vivre. He knows he's important to us and that every move he makes on or off the pitch is going to be watched by fans, journalists and his team-mates, he's beyond reproach."
Greizmann was switched from his usual forward role before the World Cup to a right-sided midfield role behind Mbappe, Olivier Giroud and Ousmane Dembele.
"We haven’t had a lot of minutes playing together or in training sessions, so it's complicated to work on this link. Now I'm more in a role where I find the attackers. I'm starting to understand what he wants, what he needs, his game. It's easier after playing a lot of games together. And the team needs me in the heart of the game."
