“Don’t deserve to be there”: Fulham man sells himself short when it comes to his national side

I’m not quite sure if this is just being short on confidence right now, or if he’s just being realistic.

Either way, if things keep progressing the way they have, I’m sure he’ll change his tone. That’s the feeling I get when it comes to some comments made by Fulham’s French goalkeeper Alphonse Areola and his chances at making it back into the French national team.

Predominantly a backup for Didier Deschamps’ men, he’s made three appearances for the French side since his debut in 2018. Speaking over the weekend, via Tribal Football, the 6’5 French stopper didn’t seem to be full of confidence when it comes to his future with Les Bleus:

“The French team? I know it’s my job to do more now. Last year I didn’t play much. It took me a while to find a club. For me, it’s because I don’t deserve to be there, that’s all.”

I do think that he has sold himself a bit short here, because you can make the argument that he has been not only one of our better performers this season (5^th in terms of his WhoScored rating), but also within the confines of the Premier League, as he ranks 8^th in terms of save percentage and 4^th in the number of saves made.

All the more impressive considering that he’s faced the 5^th most shots on target in the division as well. And whilst it might not look like all that much considering we are where we are in the Premier League table, at least he can turn and say that it isn’t really his fault that we’re down here, put it on the people he has in front of him.

And also just because the team is struggling doesn’t mean that the player needs to suffer, look at Jordan Pickford who made a big-money move to Everton despite finishing bottom of the table with Sunderland in the process of becoming England’s number one.

So whilst I’m not French, I do want to see Fulham players (even the loan ones) do well in their careers, and hopefully Areola will get his just rewards at the end of the season if he keeps carrying on the way he does.

What about you? What do you make of Areola’s comments?