Deschamps turns on AVB

Didier Deschamps yesterday hit back at Andre Villas-Boas as the war of words between the two over Hugo Lloris intensified.

Deschamps has been at odds with Villas-Boas ever since the Portuguese signed the France goalkeeper from Lyon on transfer deadline day.

The France head coach is unhappy that Lloris, who also captains the national team, is not a regular starter at Tottenham, where he is in competition with Brad Friedel.

Last week Deschamps claimed Villas-Boas’s rotation policy could have a detrimental effect on the goalkeeper’s form. The Spurs manager shrugged off the claims, saying of Deschamps’ comments: “It goes in one ear and comes out the other.”

Deschamps responded with a similar barb yesterday.

“I have two ears as well. What he [Villas-Boas] says has the same effect on me,” Deschamps said.

Lloris has started six games for Spurs, but only one of them has come in the Premier League.

Deschamps, whose team travel to Italy for a friendly tomorrow night, has been encouraged to see Lloris getting more game time of late but also claimed the stopper is not playing as much as he would like to.

“We are not talking of a player who does not play,” Deschamps said. “Since he played his excellent match against Spain (1-1 draw last month], he has kept goal three times. Of course, he would like to play more, and it is not the case for the moment,”

“He is getting on with it as best he possibly can [but] obviously he would like to play more.”