Didier Deschamps says Olivier Giroud would like to "play more" in Chelsea | Football News

French coach Didier Deschamps revealed that Olivier Giroud wanted more playing time in Chelsea after impressing his national team.

Giroud scored the third goal of France's 4-1 win over Moldova on Friday and his international boss paid tribute to his striker after impressing in their early European qualifying.

"Giroud is there, he's scoring goals, he's also doing it with his club," Deschamps said before Monday night's shock against Iceland, live Sky sports.

"He would like to play more and when he plays in the Europa League, he also scores goals, and in a game like this tonight, against a lower-ranked opponent, his presence as a pivot is very useful.

"He's quite complementary to the other players because of his different role, which allows our team to play a varied offensive game."

Giroud has played only six games under Maurizio Sarri in the Premier League, but has played 15 games since the bench.

The Frenchman has however been a regular in the Europa League with nine goals in nine games.

Deschamps also talked about his players' mentality after winning the World Cup this summer, highlighting how important Giroud, Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann are to keeping the group focused.

"I was not really worried because since the beginning of the week, I had told them what I wanted to tell them about the match through the sessions we had – there was a lot of dedication", added Deschamps.

"The players are aware, the more experienced players that I appreciate, the rest of the group follows.

"It sounds natural and logical but I appreciate the quality and the state of mind we have.

"The players know it, that 's how we arrived last summer and it' s something that we absolutely have to keep, no matter the game and the players we face.