Les Bleus face uphill battle

Saint-Denis – Just two months before France begin their defence of the World Cup, the mood around the team is in stark contrast to the celebrations that followed their win over Croatia in the 2018 final.

The clouds have been gathering over coach Didier Deschamps and his squad as key players struggle with injuries and personal problems.

The French Football Federation (FFF) is locked in a row over image rights with its biggest star and its president faces accusations of inappropriate behaviour, all threatening to derail France’s campaign in Qatar.

More immediately, they go into their final matches before the World Cup this week against Austria and Denmark in the Uefa Nations League with a depleted squad.

Paul Pogba, a goal-scorer in the 4-2 win over Croatia in 2018, is among the players sidelined.

As the Juventus star battles to recover from knee surgery he has filed a complaint with Italian prosecutors saying he was the target of a €13 million blackmail plot.

Killian Mbappe is involved in a row with the FFF that also risks damaging squad morale. He refused to participate in a photo shoot because of the FFF’s unwillingness to modify an agreement regarding players’ image rights.

The Paris Saint-Germain superstar has boycotted a shoot before, and on Monday the federation responded quickly, promising to “revise as soon as possible the agreement”.

Mbappe’s representatives insisted the matter “obviously does not call into question his total commitment to contribute to the success of the national team”.

“It’s not the calmest atmosphere that I have known,” admitted Deschamps. “But it is not unsettling for me. We are focused on what is happening on the pitch.”

His squad will be without Hugo Lloris, N’Golo Kante and Karim Benzema, as well as Pogba.

France will be relegated from their Nations League group with defeat to Austria today but even if they win, they may still need three points against Denmark on Sunday. –