The defeat in the World Cup final in Qatar did not affect Didier Deschamps’ merit. Although the French coach’s attempt to renew the title failed, sHis image as a winner remained intact and his presence at the head of the teamannounced this Saturday, depended only on his will.
Worthy of credit when you take into account that a man of Zinedine Zidane’s stature is ringing insistently for officewho doesn’t hide his intention to one day sit on the “bleus” bench after winning everything with Real Madrid.
Deschamps was the coach who placed the second star in the French shirt in 201820 years after being the captain of the team that had made the first.
Challenge to add third crashed against Leo Messi’s Argentina push but France didn’t detract in Qatarwhere she became the first defender of the title to reach the final since 1998. She was on the verge – Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez’s leg prevented her in the last breath of extra time against Randal Kolo Muani – to be the first to renew the title since 1962.
From the hand of Deschampsborn in Bayonne on October 15, 1968, France has become the point of reference for current football.
In the last two decades he has reached six finals between World Cups and European Championshipsfive of which with Deschamps on the pitch or on the bench.
Since it occupies that of France, the Basque-French coach managed to equip a generation of great footballers, led by Kylian Mbappé and Antoine Griezmannof the winning gene he had when he reigned world football at the hands of Zizou at the end of the last century.
That lucky star, which risked going out after the elimination in the round of 16 of the last Eurocup, its biggest stain in the lead of the “bleus”, has rediscovered its splendor in Qatarwhere France showed a high competitive level except in the first hour and a quarter of the final.
This is the Deschamps sign, a manager who does not embrace styles or creeds, adhering to pragmatism, without limits in terms of schemes or players, capable of punishing and forgiving with the utmost vehemence in the name of the greatest interest that is the team.
FOURTEEN VICTORIES
With those credentials, the coach achieved his fourteenth World Cup victory in Qatar, the same as Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari.
I just passed them German Helmut Schon, who scored 16 between 1964 and 1978. He also has the best win rate of all coaches who have led at least ten World Cup duels.
Appointed to the position in July 2012, before him he had the task of rebuilding a group that arrived with open wounds from the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012which resulted in two sensational bankruptcies and many internal disputes.
Where Raymond Domenech and Laurent Blanc failed, Deschamps set about building a winning car, the hallmark of his career, which began as a professional at Nantesexalted at Olympique de Marseille (European champion in 1993) and Girondins de Bordeaux before reaching his apex at Juventus in Turin (European champion in 1996 and runners-up in 1997 and 1998), ending up at Chelsea and Valencia .
on the benches, led Monaco to the Champions League final in 2004 before promoting ousted Juve to the first division in 2007 and achieving the club’s first championship in 18 years with Marseille in 2010.
A successful tour that relaunched the French teamwhere if he fulfills his new contract he will complete fourteen seasons.
Its renewal depended more on him than on anything elsebecause France had given him a blank check in which his only request was to set the World Cup in North America as his horizon.
But Euro 2024 will be a severe test, because by then his main mentor, FFF president Noel Le Graet, will no longer be in office. and why Mbappé’s generation won’t be able to go another two years without titles.
If you don’t pass with flying colors, Zidane’s name will be back with a bang and then yes, his credit will be damaged.
