France, the imperfect back-to-back World Cup finalists - The Athletic

L’Equipe called it un exploit venu des trefonds, a feat from the depths, and erstwhile you look astatine it that way, arsenic a triumph implicit adversity arsenic good arsenic a valiant opponent, France’s progression to a 2nd consecutive World Cup last looks that spot much impressive.

The performance? Not truthful much, successful truth. France manager Didier Deschamps admitted his squad “weren’t perfect” successful beating Morocco successful Wednesday’s semi-final and that they “weren’t perfect” erstwhile they overcame England successful the quarter-final either. Over the people of those 2 matches they seldom looked similar reigning satellite champions, but, ultimately, with a squad ravaged by unwellness and injury, lone the effect mattered.

France’s 2-0 triumph implicit Morocco means that this strangest of World Cups volition extremity with the showpiece last its organisers would person desired beforehand. Argentina vs France means Lionel Messi vs Kylian Mbappe, which means the top subordinate of his procreation against his heir apparent, some of them nether the employment of Qatari-owned Paris Saint-Germain.

If the “dream final” was successful uncertainty for a clip successful Al Khor connected Wednesday evening it was due to the fact that Morocco, the astonishment bundle of this World Cup, made France sweat for it.

For periods of the game, with Sofyan Amrabat outstanding again successful midfield, Morocco pushed Didier Deschamps’ squad harder than England did connected Saturday. After conceding the archetypal extremity to Theo Hernandez wrong 5 minutes, Morocco went connected the offensive, taking risks, committing players guardant and threatening an equaliser until Randal Kolo Muani came disconnected the seat to pat location France’s 2nd extremity connected 78 minutes.

With that, Deschamps and his players could yet statesman to absorption connected Sunday’s final. “We could person played better,” the manager said. “But we’re successful the last and some finalists volition beryllium playing a amended squad than they’ve played truthful acold successful the tournament. Maybe the squad who makes less mistakes volition triumph the game.”

Thinking backmost to France’s past World Cup last 4 years ago, that 4-2 triumph implicit Croatia successful Moscow was a unusual game, strewn with errors astatine some ends of the pitch. So was Wednesday’s semi-final arsenic some teams played astatine a frantic gait and near ample gaps for the absorption to exploit. If Morocco were near to wage the price, eventually, for allowing Mbappe excessively overmuch abstraction successful the build-up to the 2nd goal, akin could beryllium said of France’s defending; they can’t spend to springiness Messi arsenic overmuch time, abstraction and encouragement arsenic they gave Azzedine Ounahi, Hakim Ziyech and Youssef En-Nesyri.

For France, determination were mitigating circumstances. It is well-documented that they went into this tourney without Presnel Kimpembe, N’Golo Kante, Paul Pogba, Christopher Nkunku and Karim Benzema owed to injury. Since past they person mislaid Lucas Hernandez to a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and, connected the time of the semi-final, Dayot Upamecano and Adrien Rabiot to what Deschamps called “an unwellness going circular successful Doha”. “We’re each trying to beryllium cautious truthful it doesn’t spread,” the manager said, adding that helium expects some players to beryllium acceptable for Sunday.

Where to spell adjacent on The Athletic…

• Messi winning World Cup would specify him but he’s already among greatest
• France bushed Morocco: Mbappe v Messi, Amrabat’s tackle and a uncommon accelerated start

The France squad is much-changed from that successful Russia 4 years ago, but by the clip the teamsheets dropped for the semi-final it hardly felt recognisable. Only 5 of the starting XI against Morocco (Hugo Lloris, Raphael Varane, Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud and Mbappe) had started successful the 2018 final. Jules Kounde (24), Ibrahima Konate (23), Theo Hernandez (25), Youssouf Fofana (23) and Aurelien Tchouameni (22) correspond a caller wave, arsenic bash Marcus Thuram (25) and Randal Kolo Muani (24), who came disconnected the seat to termination disconnected Morocco’s resistance.

Tchouameni has started each six of France’s games successful Qatar. Kounde and Konate, who performed good successful a makeshift defence against Morocco, are present up to 4 and 3 starts respectively. Griezmann is looking amended and amended successful a roaming midfield role. Mbappe, without being astatine his champion against Morocco, inactive provided moments of existent quality.

The interest was that Mbappe was excessively focused connected going guardant and offered Theo Hernandez insufficient antiaircraft support. Achraf Hakimi was linking good with Ziyech and yet Deschamps decided involution was needed, replacing Giroud with Thuram, who came connected astatine near helping nether orders to way Hakimi erstwhile helium goes guardant and, wherever possible, to propulsion him back. That worked well, arsenic did the determination to regenerate Ousmane Dembele with Kolo Muani, who scored wrong 44 seconds of coming on.

When you see however galore players are already missing, the spot successful extent is peculiarly creditable. But however bully is this France team? Good capable to bushed Australia 4-1, Denmark 2-1, Poland 3-1, England 2-1 and Morocco 2-0, but their awesome progression done the knockout stages successful Russia 4 years agone has not been matched. Maybe Mbappe and his team-mates are redeeming themselves for Argentina, whom they memorably bushed 4-3 successful Kazan successful 2018.

How good bash you person to play to triumph the World Cup, though? The accepted contented is that you person to scope the signifier of your life, but planetary shot is not ever similar that. Sometimes it requires the squad with the champion players simply to clasp their nerve, enactment unneurotic and debar doing thing stupid. A sensible squad with talented players and the close mindset volition ever person a chance. Under Deschamps, France are surely sensible.

France person reached this year’s last having deed apical cogwheel lone briefly, against Australia. Against England and Morocco, they rode their luck somewhat but had conscionable capable quality, know-how and ruthlessness to spot disconnected an hostile without the aforesaid winning tradition.

They volition beryllium expected to person to rise their crippled to decision Argentina successful the final, but Deschamps would happily judge immoderate benignant of show conscionable arsenic agelong arsenic they get their triumph — particularly successful the circumstances of this tournament, erstwhile they person had to gully connected deeper reserves successful much ways than one.

Morocco manager Walid Regragui, who was calved and raised successful the suburbs southbound of Paris, declared successful the post-match property league that “over the past 20 years you tin accidental France is the apical footballing state successful the world. They person the champion players and the champion coaches and they are the champion squad successful the world.”

Spain, Germany oregon Italy mightiness person thing to accidental astir the past 2 decades if we are talking purely astir planetary football, but France person go the archetypal squad to scope consecutive men’s World Cup finals since Brazil successful 1994, 1998 and 2002. They volition anticipation to go lone the 3rd squad (after Italy successful 1934 and 1938 and Brazil successful 1958 and 1962) to triumph back-to-back titles. All of this — positive runners-up successful the European Championship last successful 2016 and winners of the Nations League successful 2021 — would person been unimaginable erstwhile they were failing to suffice for the World Cup successful 1990 and 1994.

As for Deschamps, who was a France planetary successful those acheronian days, helium led Les Bleus to World Cup glory arsenic skipper successful 1998 and arsenic manager successful 2018. A 3rd winner’s medal would bash him nicely, but erstwhile this was enactment to him connected Wednesday evening, helium said small beyond suggesting that “the squad is much important than me”.

Increasingly, helium finds himself meaning the squad alternatively than the squad helium primitively had successful caput erstwhile France qualified for this World Cup. Barely a time seems to spell by without France enduring immoderate setback oregon another, but, from the depths of their squad and their depleted vigor reserves, they person recovered capable to get the occupation done. If they are to flooded Messi and Argentina, they mightiness person to excavation deeper still.

(Photo: Clive Mason/Getty Images)