Didier Deschamps stands one game away from becoming the first coach to lift the World Cup twice in the postwar era.
Through to their fourth World Cup final in seven editions, France have come habituated to success on the transnational stage and central to it all has been Didier Deschamps, a born winner as a player and now an inspirational leader as a trainer. As Les Bleus approach Sunday’s showdown with Argentina in Doha, it seems remarkable now that there were serious dubieties about this French side coming into the World Cup.
They had dissatisfied at Euro 2020 and Deschamps was formerly dealing with an injury extremity before Ballond’Or winner Karim Benzema withdrew from the team on the dusk of the event. Yet the circumstances have brought the stylish out of the France trainer, who ripped up his politic plans and pulled off a masterstroke in turning forward Antoine Griezmann into a midfielder. Griezmann’s own commentary during the competition told a story.
“I owe him everything in my transnational career. I give everything for the shirt, for France, but also for him,” said the Atletico Madrid star who has arguably been the player of the event.
“Every game, every action is like me saying thank you to him. I want to do everything to make him proud of his number seven.”
Deschamps may be scouted by some suckers who feel his platoon should play more seductive football. But Griezmann’s commentary revealed commodity differently about Deschamps- – that his man- operation chops are indeed more important than politic nous.
“He likes to talk with his players and know what you’re feeling. Every time he gives an order or advice you follow him,” Griezmann said.
That Deschamps is so largely reputed and respected by his players is really incompletely down to what he achieved in his own career. A midfielder formerly famously dismissed as a” water carrier” by Eric Cantona, he was 24 when he captained Marseille to palm in the 1993 title holders League final.
Latterly a titleholders League winner with Juventus, he skippered France to palm at the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 before retiring aged 32.
Les Bleus haven’t really looked back since those constructive triumphs. Over a generation they’ve come transnational football’s pre-eminent power. Deschamps has been the driving force behind that, although following the end of his playing career there was a successful period in club operation.
He took Monaco to the 2004 titleholders League final aged 35 and led Marseille to a Ligue 1 title before replacing Laurent Blanc as France trainer in 2012. also France were floundering to rebuild after the disaster of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
A decade on, they’re into their third final in the last four major events and also won the UEFA Nations League last time. So how does he keep doing it?
“It’s veritably delicate to win, especially a World Cup, and it’s indeed harder to win it again,” he told AFP shortly before the event.
“You need quality and gift, but those effects on their own aren’t enough. Without the intelligence, the right mindset and determination, it’s insolvable to win at this position.”
Driven on by Deschamps, France are the first World Cup holders to return to the final since Brazil in 1998, as they look to come the first side in 60 times to retain the jewel.
It has clearly been different to 2018, with half of France’s line- up having changed, incompletely because of injuries to similar crucial players as Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante and Lucas Hernandez. In 2018 Deschamps came just the third man to win the jewel as a trainer having also done so as a player, following Brazil’s Mario Zagallo and West Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer.
Now he stands one game down from getting the first trainer to lift the World Cup doubly in the postwar period.
Whatever happens on Sunday, France’s run to this point means the eschewal- of- contract Deschamps is free to decide if he wants to stay on and lead Les Bleus into Euro 2024. The anticipation is that he will, despite the figure of Zinedine Zidane lurking in the murk.
” I’m not the most important thing then,” he said after beating Morocco.” We’ve the chance to retain our title and that’s formerly a great achievement. Let’s hope we can be indeed happier on Sunday.” Read More FIFA News…
