On brink of World Cup history, Deschamps deserves huge credit
By Harvey Cruz
Since winning the World Cup in 1998, the French national team have lurched from one scandal to the next. A win on Sunday would put all of it to rest.
Paul Pogba was 5 years old the last time France played Croatia at the World Cup. Ousmane Dembele was barely a year old when Didier Deschamps lifted the trophy in 1998. Kylian Mbappe wasn’t even born. All three are part of a new generation of stars ready to deliver Les Bleus a second World Cup crown against Croatia on Sunday.
These past 20 years have been tumultuous, particularly on the global stage, beginning with a shocking group stage exit in 2002, in which France lost the tournament opener 1-0 to Senegal. That performance began a trend of early exits by defending champions, but at the time it was unheard of, and manager Roger Lemerre was sacked shortly thereafter.
2006 marked a return to form, but only after two of the heroes of ’98, Zinedine Zidane and Lilian Thuram, were coaxed out of retirement. Zidane’s infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi in the final, which Italy went on to win on penalties, feels emblematic of much of France’s form since the turn of the century.
If 2006 was step forward, though, 2010 was seven or eight steps back, as Raymond Domenech, despite some, um, quirky behavior stayed on as manager, only to witness a full on revolt within the squad. The result? Another group stage exit, another embarrassment, another generation of talent gone to waste.
Under Deschamps, who took over in 2012, things have run much more smoothly, on and off the pitch. By focusing on a new generation of young talent, and getting rid of some of the perceived trouble-makers of old, Deschamps has created a real unity within the squad. The resulting style of play isn’t always pretty, but it’s gotten them to two major tournament finals in a row.
Perhaps no player embodies these new priorities more than Olivier Giroud, still starting under Deschamps despite failing to hit the target with a single shot all tournament. The Chelsea forward is far less eye-catching of a player than, say, Dembele, but his holdup play is crucial to getting his more talented teammates involved.
“Against Belgium I missed efficiency, luck and something to score but hopefully I can have it for the final,” Giroud said. “I feel like I give everything for the team and if one goal has to come then hopefully it will come and it will come on Sunday, but if we are a world champions and I don’t score, I’m okay with that.”
Then again, it’s not like Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann have flashed the full range of their attacking talent either. This team are built very much in their manager’s image — hard-working, efficient, difficult to beat. For all the flair they possess, the standout players have been N’Golo Kante and the two center-backs, Raphael Varane and Samuel Umtiti. The players seem to have bought in.
“You can’t win a World Cup on just talent. Talent alone is not sufficient. You need efficiency. The mental strength is 70 percent of the job. If you’re ready to work for your teammates and each other with dedication and commitment then anything can happen.” Giroud added.
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Deschamps is bidding to become only the third man ever (after Franz Beckenbauer and Mario Zagallo) to win the World Cup as both a player and manager. This is his second major tournament final in three attempts. Whatever you think of his methods, they’re clearly working.
“The manager deserves a lot of credit,” Hugo Lloris said. “Against Argentina, Uruguay and then again against Belgium, his plan was perfect. The most important game in our career is ahead of us. We will try to make sure that we put everything on our side.”