It was a “heavy and oppressive” night, said Didier Deschamps. The “joy” of beating Ukraine 4-0 in Paris and qualifying for the World Cup was “contained” by the context of the match, taking place 10 years to the day after the attacks of 13 November, which began at the Stade de France. “It would have been good if we could have avoided playing on this day,” said the France manager before the match.
It was a poignant night for the city, the country, for those in the stadium, and also for Deschamps, for more reasons than one. He will step down as manager after next summer’s World Cup, bringing an end to what will have been a historic 14-year spell, regardless of what happens in North America.
This was his last competitive game on French soil as manager. “I’m not nostalgic. I don’t look to the past,” he said. But his selection choices in recent months contradict him; with one last challenge to prepare for, he is stuck between looking to the past and towards the future.
It is perhaps trust rather than nostalgia that is guiding Deschamps. Old names have returned in recent times; N’Golo Kanté, despite his move to Saudi Arabia, was brought in from the cold for Euro 2024 and started on Thursday night; Kingsley Coman remains on the edges of the squad, despite his own move to the Gulf State; Florian Thauvin had not been picked for six years before the October international break; Clément Lenglet was a shock inclusion for last summer’s Nations League campaign; and Lucas Hernández and Randal Kolo Muani, despite unconvincing performances at club level, continue to be selected.
“If he’s fit, it seems logical that [Kolo Muani] is here,” said Deschamps. What guides that logic is a different question, one central to the construction of Deschamps’ final oeuvre, as experience and trust are balanced with renewal. The starting XI against Ukraine had a combined 397 caps, with the captain Kylian Mbappé (93) the most experienced player in the side. Injuries to Ousmane Dembélé, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Marcus Thuram and Adrien Rabiot do not help.
In contrast, the side that started against Argentina in the last World Cup final had a combined 664 caps, with Hugo Lloris, Raphaël Varane, Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann accounting for 471 of those. All four have since retired, the latter two doing so in the wake of Les Bleus’ run to the Euro 2024 semi-finals.
There is an experience deficit in the team, one that Deschamps is acutely aware of and is trying to mitigate before into his final World Cup. But the France manager has also insisted on a strategy of “oxygenisation”, as he calls it, bringing in a new generation. Michael Olise has been a breath of fresh air and Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki, Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitiké, and Monaco’s Maghnes Akliouche have all made the breakthrough in recent months.
Making the puzzle fit is the hard part. France qualified for the World Cup without losing a game in their qualifying group but the team has looked disjointed, especially in attack. That was evident during the first half against Ukraine. “We were a bit shy in the first half,” admitted Deschamps. Mbappé described France’s first 45 minutes as “laborious”. It is not an isolated incident.
The functioning of this forward line looks unresolved. Giroud was such a key element for Deschamps, bringing others, mainly Mbappé, into the game. The Real Madrid forward has replaced him positionally but not in profile. Mbappé’s positioning as a No 9 is no longer in question, given that he now fulfils the role permanently for club and country. It is telling that when Marcus Thuram – a more physical, more traditional striker – has featured for the national team, he has done so from out wide.
But there is an issue of presence in the box and in central areas more generally at times, with crosses from Olise and Cherki finding a deserts of space in the first half. Deschamps spoke about a “lack of combinations”, with big gaps between Mbappé, Olise and Cherki in the first half. The manager “said things” at half-time, but he also changed things, with the aforementioned attacking trio playing much closer together.
The result was four goals in 33 second-half minutes. Mbappé scored two, taking his tally for Les Bleus to 55 goals, just two short of Giroud’s record. Olise and Ekitiké were also on the scoresheet. “Akliouche and Ekitiké coming on really helped us,” said Deschamps. Ekitiké’s performance in particular is food for thought, given his presence in the box and ability to be more of a focal point, even if they are not his major strengths.
Cherki was heavily involved before he was substituted in the 68th minute (Kanté and Lucas Digne were the only players who saw more of the ball) but he did little with his possession. Perhaps it is teething problems for the Manchester City playmaker, who does not yet have the understanding with Mbappé he has built so quickly with Erling Haaland.
Whoever starts in the World Cup will have to combine well with Mbappé. The Real Madrid forward is clearly the subject in Deschamps’ final masterpiece, but his surroundings are yet to be painted. “He has rediscovered his best level,” said Deschamps of his captain after the match. “I’ve always said that the national team will be stronger with Kylian and, with Kylian at this level, it will be difficult for opponents.”
But if France are to become only the third team to reach three consecutive World Cup finals – after West Germany and Brazil – the parts around Mbappé must fit and amplify his strengths. It represents a shift in modus operandi for Deschamps, who previously relied on a No 9 whose strength was improving the performance of the forwards around him.
With the World Cup fast approaching, Deschamps’ last work feels incomplete. Maybe it will never be complete. Perhaps this current France squad will be to Deschamps what the Adoration of the Magi was to Leonardo da Vinci – forever unfinished.
This is an article by Get French Football News
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