DIDIER SAYS FRANCE HAS LOT OF WORLD CUP AMBITION
France coach Didier Deschamps had to take some tough decisions to make over his forwards when he named his World Cup squad with Les Bleus featuring among the favourites to win the trophy.
They lifted their only world title, on home soil in 1998, thanks to a steely defence and the sublime skills of playmaker Zinedine Zidane rather than their forwards but this time, just like at Euro 2016, France will rely on their attacking players.
Such is their strength-in-depth up front that the likes of Anthony Martial and Kingsley Coman missed out on the June 14-July 15 tournament in Russia.
Paris St Germain’s Kylian Mbappe will make his World Cup debut while Olivier Giroud was obviously a safe choice as he rarely disappoints in the blue jersey.
Deschamps, who took charge after Euro 2012 and led the team to the World Cup quarterfinals in 2014 and the 2016 European Championship final in Paris, has been blessed with a generation of fine strikers.
He can also rely on a formidable midfield force, notably Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante and Manchester United’s Paul Pogba who have been gracing the Premier League with their talent.
Deschamps must be happy that Benjamin Mendy, arguably the most talented full back since World Cup-winner Bixente Lizarazu, has recovered from a long-term injury.
France, however, endured a tough qualifying campaign, only securing their place at the finals on the last night.
“We don’t manage to control the situation throughout a game, and we didn’t manage control throughout the qualifying campaign,” said Deschamps . “We did not really hurt our opponents. It’s important that we learn to do that.
“We have a lot of ambition but if we look at the other nations, there are two in Europe (Portugal and Germany) who are ahead of us, and one in South America (Brazil),” he said. —