With France’s 1-2 reversal, the Gallic army, aiming for the championship, was also blocked from the door of the European Championship final. Even more heartbreaking, France only had one goal from open play in five games in this European Championship. With a luxurious lineup worth 1.23 billion euros, boasting offensive talents like Mbappe, Griezmann, and Dembele, France played so ugly, Deschamps is to blame. Perhaps it’s time for him to step down.
In this European Championship, France is still star-studded, Deschamps’ 25-man squad has a total market value of a staggering 1.23 billion euros, second only to England’s 1.52 billion. But how did France perform? In the first group match against Austria, they got through thanks to a Wöber own goal. In the next game against the Netherlands, luckily Simons’ goal was disallowed, resulting in a 0-0 draw. In the final game against the already eliminated Poland, Mbappe scored a penalty, and ultimately they drew 1-1.
In the knockout stages, France remained extremely conservative and pragmatic, showing no ambition in attack. In the Round of 16, they relied on a Vertonghen own goal to win 1-0. In the quarter-finals against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, they were goalless after 120 minutes, only advancing through a penalty shootout.
Deschamps’ tactics and strategies have been ridiculed by fans, who have even said that France and England have ruined football and successfully hypnotized the fans, so much so that they would rather sleep than watch a final between the two teams. Faced with the criticism, Deschamps said he didn’t care, he was only responsible for the results.
If France had ultimately won the championship, then perhaps Deschamps’ pragmatic football would have been justified. But reality cannot be hypothetical. Faced with Spain’s beautiful and direct attack, the Gallic army couldn’t hold back their opponent’s advance, falling 1-2, meaning they missed out on the final.
Since the 2012 European Championship, Deschamps has led France in six major tournaments, achieving one championship and one runner-up in three World Cups, once reaching the Round of 16. In three European Championships, there was one runner-up finish, one semi-final appearance, and one Round of 16 exit. Overall, it’s not a bad record, especially as the manager who led France to its second World Cup title, Deschamps’ position has always been very secure.
But from the content of the games, France under Deschamps has become increasingly conservative and ugly. Take this European Championship as an example, in six matches, they only won two in regular time, and two of those ended with a clean sheet. Even more struggling was their attack. Although they have Mbappe, Griezmann, Dembele, and Muani, they only scored four goals in six games, almost failing to score from open play, which is truly disappointing.
It is well known that after leaving Real Madrid in the summer of 2021, Zidane has been unemployed. Although he has been linked with Manchester United, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain, he has chosen to reject them all, setting his sights on the French national team manager’s position. Now that Deschamps has finally shown a weakness, many fans are spamming social media: Zidane, it’s your turn!
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