No time for France to cry after World Cup heartbreak
It's never easy for a team in any competition to lose a final. The feeling of having come so close and gone so far at the end is surely frustrating, even for those who had won the previous edition of the competition. The bigger the stage, the bigger the pain, and there is no bigger stage than the World Cup.
France were very impressive throughout the tournament in Qatar, despite the absence of some key players. Paul Pogba, who played a major role in France's 2018 World Cup triumph, has yet to feature at all this season, and Karim Benzema was injured before the start after winning the Ballon d'Or. 'Gold. Left-back Lucas Hernandez was forced to retire after just 12 minutes of the opener.
Didier Deschamps made the right mix and again established the right combination, organizing his men mainly in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with the departure of Hernandez glossed over by his brother Theo, the defender Barcelona Jules Kounde on the right, and the trio of Raphaël Varane, Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konaté alternating in the two roles of central defender. Aurelien Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot were the double pivot in midfield, with Antoine Griezmann very effective in the No.10 position, supporting striker Olivier Giroud with Kylian Mbappe on the left and Ousmane Dembele on the right. Captained by Hugo Lloris from between the posts, it was really a great formation.
Embed from Getty Images
As for the future, this World Cup was surely the last, perhaps the last major tournament at all, for Lloris, 35, Giroud, 36, and Benzema, 34. It remains to be seen whether Griezmann will be called up in 2026, when he turns 35 himself. Pogba will be 33 that year, and if his fitness record doesn't improve by then, hopes that he can contribute will also fade.
For these players, this moment may seem like the end of an era, but France need not worry about what lies ahead. There are plenty of young people in their ranks.
For one, they will always be led by the brilliant Kylian Mbappe, who smashed three goals past the insolent Emiliano Martinez in this latest heartbreak. The PSG man just turned 24, Dembele is 25, as is Marcus Thuram, and Randal Kolo Muani, who has made several brilliant cameos, is 24.
Tchouameni has been a Real Madrid player for only a few months and at the age of 22 he has already shown that the Spanish giants were not wrong when they chose to part with 80 million euros for the summon. The same goes for 20-year-old Eduardo Camavinga, already La Liga champion and Champions League winner.
At the back, Varane is still only 29, although he is also a seasoned winner at the highest level; Upamecano is 24 and plays for Bayern Munich, Konate is a great prospect for Liverpool at 22. Theo is 25, Kounde 24.
You would expect a goalkeeper like Lloris to be very difficult to replace, but France already have a star ready with AC Milan Mike Maignan, 27, another who missed this tournament due to injury.
For all those players, this lost final will likely serve as a steep learning curve, a painful but invaluable experience, a reminder that nothing less than 100% from the first whistle of opening day to the last of the final brings a chance to win the World Cup.
But like any other team after such excruciating pain, the first step to recovering from it is to turn to the next challenge and focus on it as hard as possible. For France, it will be the qualifying campaign for Euro 2024, and they certainly won't have the luxury of lingering on Qatar. Having to fight until the last round for first place in Group B against the Netherlands, they will also face the Republic of Ireland, Greece and Gibraltar.
But even before the start of these qualifications, France must settle the situation with the contract of Deschamps, which expires at the end of this month. FFF chief Noel Le Graet recently revealed plans for talks on the subject to be held next week and expressed hope that the 54-year-old tactician, a World Cup winner both in as a player and coach, will remain at the helm of the team. for the foreseeable future.
Embed from Getty Images
It's never easy for a team in any competition to lose a final. The feeling of having come so close and gone so far at the end is surely frustrating, even for those who had won the previous edition of the competition. The bigger the stage, the bigger the pain, and there is no bigger stage than the World Cup.
France were very impressive throughout the tournament in Qatar, despite the absence of some key players. Paul Pogba, who played a major role in France's 2018 World Cup triumph, has yet to feature at all this season, and Karim Benzema was injured before the start after winning the Ballon d'Or. 'Gold. Left-back Lucas Hernandez was forced to retire after just 12 minutes of the opener.
Didier Deschamps made the right mix and again established the right combination, organizing his men mainly in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with the departure of Hernandez glossed over by his brother Theo, the defender Barcelona Jules Kounde on the right, and the trio of Raphaël Varane, Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konaté alternating in the two roles of central defender. Aurelien Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot were the double pivot in midfield, with Antoine Griezmann very effective in the No.10 position, supporting striker Olivier Giroud with Kylian Mbappe on the left and Ousmane Dembele on the right. Captained by Hugo Lloris from between the posts, it was really a great formation.
Embed from Getty Images
As for the future, this World Cup was surely the last, perhaps the last major tournament at all, for Lloris, 35, Giroud, 36, and Benzema, 34. It remains to be seen whether Griezmann will be called up in 2026, when he turns 35 himself. Pogba will be 33 that year, and if his fitness record doesn't improve by then, hopes that he can contribute will also fade.
For these players, this moment may seem like the end of an era, but France need not worry about what lies ahead. There are plenty of young people in their ranks.
For one, they will always be led by the brilliant Kylian Mbappe, who smashed three goals past the insolent Emiliano Martinez in this latest heartbreak. The PSG man just turned 24, Dembele is 25, as is Marcus Thuram, and Randal Kolo Muani, who has made several brilliant cameos, is 24.
Tchouameni has been a Real Madrid player for only a few months and at the age of 22 he has already shown that the Spanish giants were not wrong when they chose to part with 80 million euros for the summon. The same goes for 20-year-old Eduardo Camavinga, already La Liga champion and Champions League winner.
At the back, Varane is still only 29, although he is also a seasoned winner at the highest level; Upamecano is 24 and plays for Bayern Munich, Konate is a great prospect for Liverpool at 22. Theo is 25, Kounde 24.
You would expect a goalkeeper like Lloris to be very difficult to replace, but France already have a star ready with AC Milan Mike Maignan, 27, another who missed this tournament due to injury.
For all those players, this lost final will likely serve as a steep learning curve, a painful but invaluable experience, a reminder that nothing less than 100% from the first whistle of opening day to the last of the final brings a chance to win the World Cup.
But like any other team after such excruciating pain, the first step to recovering from it is to turn to the next challenge and focus on it as hard as possible. For France, it will be the qualifying campaign for Euro 2024, and they certainly won't have the luxury of lingering on Qatar. Having to fight until the last round for first place in Group B against the Netherlands, they will also face the Republic of Ireland, Greece and Gibraltar.
But even before the start of these qualifications, France must settle the situation with the contract of Deschamps, which expires at the end of this month. FFF chief Noel Le Graet recently revealed plans for talks on the subject to be held next week and expressed hope that the 54-year-old tactician, a World Cup winner both in as a player and coach, will remain at the helm of the team. for the foreseeable future.
Embed from Getty Images
What's Your Reaction?
