Former Arsenal defender Clichy is regarded as one of the best left back for the French national team, but he has not been part of the squad in the recent matches. The Manchester City player has expressed his surprise at being omitted from the French national team by manager Didier Deschamps. The former Marseille man took over from Laurent Blanc in the summer after a poor run of form meant that the team crashed out at the Euro 2012. This was yet another disappointment for the nation at a major tournament. One of the main reasons for the recent performances have been the infighting within the squad.
There is a clash of several high profile personalities like Franck Ribery, which have been a cause of concern for previous managers as well. France reached the final of the 2006 World Cup, but since then they have been very poor. As a result, it is thought that Deschamps has made it a priority to keep a harmony in the dressing room. Clichy has not been regarded as one of the trouble makers in the squad. As a result, he is extremely surprised at being omitted consistently at the national team level despite his form at club level being good.
“I deserve my place. When Deschamps replaced Blanc, I was hoping things would change. I don’t feel I have had the opportunity to prove I am number one. If I had done something wrong, I could understand it,” said Clichy, who managed to win the league title in the first season after leaving Arsenal. However, City have failed to retain the title this season, but Clichy does have the opportunity to lift the trophy in the form of the FA Cup. City will be playing against Wigan in the FA Cup final at Wembley.