At 5:00 AM Beijing time on July 19th, France will face England in the World Cup third-place match. On the eve of the match, Didier Deschamps, who is coaching the French national team for his final game, attended a press conference. This article is the second part of that press conference.
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Hello Didier, I'd like to review the game against Spain and reflect on it. Did the theory of "a bad day" prevail, or was it, as all of us and many others have been saying for weeks and months, that this exciting team with four attacking players could beat the world, but perhaps not Spain? Looking back, did we think we should have played like that against Spain? Would we have continued to field four attacking players?
You have the right to ask all your questions, and the right to hold all the theories I respect; respecting those theories is important. After that, the issue isn't about that, because the Spanish also played very well with four attacking players, and so did the Argentinians; it's a matter of balance. Did we defend poorly? We could have defended better. But did we attack well? No, we didn't, because we made mistakes, and the opponents forced us to make even more mistakes. So, in that respect, there's nothing for me to say.
But everyone is free to have different analyses, because I'll repeat myself—though sometimes people can be hard to listen to—in Doha (the Qatar World Cup), we reached the final, we had four attacking players, that's it. Did that prevent us from reaching the final? No. Did we win? No. That's the choice I made, and there were reasons for making that initial choice, even though adjustments might be made during the competition.
I'm not doing this to say, "Look, I've suddenly become an offensive coach." No, because I believe it's the right choice. While we didn't succeed, that doesn't negate all the previous efforts; it just didn't work this time. Perhaps it was a "bad day," or perhaps it was because our opponents were far superior to their previous performances. Unfortunately, both factors led to our defeat.
Hello Didier, ever since the loss to Spain, the criticism you've received has been quite harsh...
I don't listen to or look at these things. So, thank you anyway for telling me; I can imagine it.
Christopher Dugarry specifically pointed out...
Let's just skip him then, it's simpler that way.
No, no, but...
No, the next question.
To those who say you've participated in six major tournaments and only won one, what would you like to say to them today as your term comes to an end?
I'm not going to answer. What do you expect me to answer? Honestly, I don't want to pretend to be someone else. If you're looking for someone else, I'm sorry, but my standards of reference might not be the same as yours. Although, as I said, anyone—a journalist, a former player, or anyone else—can say whatever they want. That's fine with me. But please, no "after-sales service." I'm not here for that. That's all.
Hello Didier, among the available and unavailable players, will Kylian Mbappé start tomorrow?
He's available, that's enough. Why don't you go to the people who speak well of you? You always go to the people who speak ill of you, knowing that such a perfect relationship would certainly interest many people.
I have two questions for you. These days there has been talk of – especially in the French media – about what is allegedly a problem between you and Ousmane Dembélé during halftime of the match against Spain. It seems he questioned your tactical arrangements. I'd like to know if this is true?
That's not true, or rather, talking about pressing during halftime. We didn't say anything inappropriate about tactics, that's normal, and the same goes for the water break.
Then I would like to ask you, everyone says that competing for third or fourth place is a problem, and nobody wants to play this game, what is your opinion on this issue?
Since we're playing, we must respect the game. Undoubtedly, it would be better for both England and us if this match weren't played. But this is the World Cup, and we have a goal of finishing third, and we will do everything we can to achieve that final objective.
Hello Didier, obviously you're involved while we're outsiders, so perhaps you can tell us something about Michael Olise in this World Cup. We saw a player who performed exceptionally well in the first few matches, but his form seemed to decline later on. I don't know if it was because the opponents got stronger or what. Could you tell me why Michael Olise started so well, captivating football fans worldwide, but struggled so much towards the end of the World Cup?
So, regarding Michael, I think you're being a bit too harsh. Although he didn't play his best against Spain? Yes, like any other player, but the first three games were good. He always has off days. You have to imagine, everyone knows him now, many people know him from his season at Bayern Munich. I spoke with him in detail, though I can't reveal any secrets. He performed exceptionally well at the Olympics. In the first five or six games with us… you weren't exactly lenient with him, were you?
Sometimes it takes time, and even so, there's still room for improvement. He's already doing very well today compared to what he could do in the past. Will he get even better? Of course, he'll get even stronger. Will this help a great 21-year-old like De Sciglio Due participating in his first World Cup? Absolutely, of course. But saying "oh, it's a big tournament" also has an emotional impact. It all depends on their character and fighting spirit. If there's a player who's already highly regarded because of other players, but this World Cup makes him stand out, that's great, he deserves it.
And as for his character, he's a really good person. He... let me give you an example, comparing his performance in the first and second legs of the Bayern Munich vs. Paris Saint-Germain match. Yes, okay, but that also helps him. Everything he's done with us means he should go further, and he's already done very well. Sometimes you hit a plateau because of the competition. I know that feeling all too well; sometimes it just takes more time.
Let me give you another example. Upamecano was a "monster" today; I call him "Little Monster." But he also made mistakes, and sometimes he needs time to recover. We can't just say that; that's the weight of the national team jersey. If one day—though I wish you were spared that pain—you are fortunate enough to proudly wear this jersey, you will know what it feels like to wear it, to actually play there, and to be in that kind of environment. Of course, I repeat, this involves an emotional aspect; after all, this is a World Cup semi-final.
