France Call up Olise again as Mbappe Rested for Nations League games

Soccer Football - Nations League - League A - Group 2 - France v Italy - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - September 6, 2024 France's Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Christian Hartmann/File Photo
Soccer Football - Nations League - League A - Group 2 - France v Italy - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - September 6, 2024 France's Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Christian Hartmann/File Photo
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France Call up Olise again as Mbappe Rested for Nations League games

Soccer Football - Nations League - League A - Group 2 - France v Italy - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - September 6, 2024 France's Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Christian Hartmann/File Photo
Soccer Football - Nations League - League A - Group 2 - France v Italy - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - September 6, 2024 France's Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Christian Hartmann/File Photo

France have again called up Michael Olise as they prepare for this month's Nations League games against Israel and Belgium without Kylian Mbappe who has been struggling with injury.

The 22-year-old English-born midfielder won his first two caps against Italy and Belgium last month and in the absence of midfielder Antoine Griezmann, who announced his retirement from international football earlier this week, the Bayern Munich player was once more picked by Didier Deschamps on Thursday, Reuters reported.

Captain Mbappe, who picked up a muscle injury last month playing for Real Madrid in LaLiga, featured for 35 minutes in the club's 1-0 Champions League loss at Lille on Wednesday, but the forward was not deemed fit enough for international duty.

"He has a problem that is not serious. I'm not here to take risks, which is why Kylian isn't on the list," Deschamps told a press conference.

Chelsea striker Christopher Nkunku was also called up 15 months after claiming his last cap in a 1-0 win against Greece.

France are second in Group A2 with three points from two games, three points behind Italy. They face Israel in Budapest on Oct. 10 and Belgium in Brussels four days later.



Thiago Motta Fired as Juventus Coach. Igor Tudor Named as Replacement

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Serie A - Juventus v Atalanta - Allianz Stadium, Turin, Italy - March 9, 2025 Juventus coach Thiago Motta REUTERS/Massimo Pinca/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Serie A - Juventus v Atalanta - Allianz Stadium, Turin, Italy - March 9, 2025 Juventus coach Thiago Motta REUTERS/Massimo Pinca/File Photo
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Thiago Motta Fired as Juventus Coach. Igor Tudor Named as Replacement

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Serie A - Juventus v Atalanta - Allianz Stadium, Turin, Italy - March 9, 2025 Juventus coach Thiago Motta REUTERS/Massimo Pinca/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Serie A - Juventus v Atalanta - Allianz Stadium, Turin, Italy - March 9, 2025 Juventus coach Thiago Motta REUTERS/Massimo Pinca/File Photo

Thiago Motta was fired as coach of slumping Juventus on Sunday, with Igor Tudor named as a replacement for the rest of the season.
“The club would like to thank Thiago Motta and all of his staff for their professionalism and for the work they have carried out in recent months with passion and dedication,” Juventus said in a statement. “The club wish them the best of luck for the future.
“Juventus FC also announce that the men’s first team will now be led by Igor Tudor, who will take charge of his first training session tomorrow,” the club added.
Juventus conceded seven goals and scored none in its last two Serie A matches — 4-0 and 3-0 losses to Atalanta and Fiorentina, respectively — leaving the record 36-time champion in fifth place and at risk of not qualifying for the Champions League.
Motta, who was in his first season at Juventus after guiding Bologna to a Champions League spot in the last campaign, reportedly lost support of several key players in the changing room over recent weeks as Juventus was eliminated from the Champions League and Italian Cup.
Juventus was also eliminated by AC Milan in the Italian Super Cup semifinals in January.
Tudor played for Juventus for nearly a decade from 1998-2007 and has previously coached Udinese, Hellas Verona and Lazio in Italy.
Tudor was also an assistant coach to Andrea Pirlo at Juventus in 2020-21. Pirlo and Tudor were fired at the end of the season.
The 46-year-old Tudor will make his debut against Genoa next Saturday, The Associated Press reported.
Juventus will also play in the enlarged Club World Cup in the United States starting in June.
Motta has struggled all season to shed the defensive tactics instilled by his predecessor, Massimiliano Allegri, and Juventus has drawn 13 of its 29 Serie A matches.
Allegri was fired for his ugly outburst toward the referee and others in the Italian Cup final won by Juventus last season.
As a player, Tudor helped Juventus to win two Serie A titles, two Italian Super Cups and an Intertoto Cup — plus the 2007 Serie B title after the Bianconeri were relegated due to the Calciopoli scandal. He was then loaned to Siena before returning to Juventus but didn’t manage to play again for the Turin club due to injury.
Tudor was a starter in the 2003 Champions League final that Juventus lost to AC Milan in a penalty shootout.