Speaking exclusively to L’Équipe, Chelsea defender Axel Disasi (25) has said that people’s perceptions and expectations of him have changed since the Qatar World Cup.
Disasi was a surprise inclusion in Didier Deschamps France squad for the 2022 World Cup. He had never played for Les Bleus before last winter’s tournament. With Benjamin Pavard out of favour at the time, Disasi got the chance to start in the group-stage match against Tunisia. He also came off the bench in the Round of 16 and the final against Argentina.
Upon his return to AS Monaco, Disasi says that he believes that more was expected from him as a result of the experiences accrued in Qatar. “There was clearly a before and after World Cup. Your status changes when you get a call-up, then even more when you start to play and then it’s a whole other thing when you play in the final,” Disasi told L’Équipe.
“It’s true that people looked at me differently, but I changed too. I learnt to have more of an impact in the dressing room, in the management of it but also in the more difficult moments. The World Cup changed me a lot in that way, taught me a lot about leadership,” he added.
Disasi left Monaco to join Chelsea in the summer for a reported €45m. He has quickly earned the trust of Mauricio Pochettino, who as Disasi revealed, pushed for him to join Chelsea. This season, the French defender has featured 13 times in all competitions.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
