World Cup Watch: Didier Deschamps says Dayot Upamecano had mental block at Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich defender Dayot Upamecano has been one of the best center-backs at the World Cup in Qatar.

France head coach Didier Deschamps, however, thinks that Upamecano is even better now than he was playing for Bayern Munich in the Hinrunde.

But...why?

Deschamps says that Upamecano recently overcame a mental block, which was holding his progress back.

Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images

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“Dayot had something on a psychological level that held him back from what I could see in his matches with Bayern. He now feels more relaxed, more confident, which allowed him to show all his qualities. That’s to his merit,” said Deschamps (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “He’s a defender who is fast, good in duels, has a good quality in recovery. He’s still a young player, he must seek efficiency. He is open, always smiling. The potential is definitely there. I don’t regret having insisted with him.”

Hmmm, whether he actually had an issue or not is up for debate. At this point, though, Bayern Munich fans just want to see this version of Upamecano plying his trade on the backline at the Allianz Arena as the team will need an incredibly strong defensive unit to overcome the loss of Manuel Neuer for the season.