William Saliba in white French kit staring into the distance

William SalibaImago

French media: Arsenal star William Saliba's 'back injury' key to him being ‘overwhelmed’ vs Senegal

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Published on:

17 Jun 2026, 4:34 am

France beat Senegal 3-1 on Tuesday, but the media was far from impressed with William Saliba’s display at the World Cup.

The Arsenal centre-back started against the west African side as they started the summer tournament off with a win, thanks to a brace from Kylian Mbappe and a single goal from Bradley Barcola.

However, despite the scoreline, the win was far from comfortable, with Nicolas Jackson going close multiple times before Ibrahim Mbaye netted an equaliser.

As a result, the French media were far from impressed and believed that the defender was “overwhelmed”, like much of the backline.

Saliba had suffered a back injury towards the back end of the 2025-26 campaign, and there were fears he would not make the tournament.

Nevertheless, the defender managed to recover to start the first game of the tournament.

William Saliba labelled less commanding than usual vs Senegal

Saliba, no doubt, had a great domestic season for Arsenal as he established himself as one of the defenders in the Premier League yet again.

The centre-back helped the Gunners lift the Premier League title, and were only a penalty shoot-out away from a first Champions League title at the club.

However, this form has clearly not continued into the World Cup so far, as the defender was roasted for his performance.

French outlet Paris Match rated Saliba a six, before writing: “Less commanding than usual. Overwhelmed, like the entire defence, by the speed and creativity of the Senegalese attack.

“His back injury seems to be forcing him to play with restraint. But a decisive intervention against Sarr after a Mbappe turnover.”

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How bad was Saliba vs Senegal?

Saliba was not awful against Senegal, with the centre-back boasting many solid stats against the West African side.

However, Saliba also failed to make a single tackle or a block, which potentially cost the nation a clean sheet and gave them a late scare before Mbappe netted his second to finish off the result.

Going forward, Saliba will be hopeful that he can continue to improve for France as they look to win the World Cup trophy yet again.

Up next, the French face Iraq on Monday before they end Group I with a fixture against Norway on 26 June.

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