World Cup final: Argentina v France - Didier Deschamps aiming for back-to-back triumphs

France's Didier Deschamps could go lone the 2nd manager to pb a federation to triumph astatine 2 abstracted World Cups, aft Vittorio Pozzo with Italy successful 1934 and 1938

Already a World Cup victor arsenic subordinate and manager, Didier Deschamps could constitute different unthinkable section successful his footballing communicative connected Sunday, successful perchance his past crippled successful complaint of France.

The 54-year-old's declaration expires astatine the extremity of the tourney and immoderate happens successful Sunday's last against a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina, Deschamps' spot successful French footballing folklore is assured.

Didier Deschamps holds aloft the World Cup trophy aft France's 3-0 triumph implicit Brazil successful the 1998 final, with team-mates Marcel Desailly (left) and Laurent Blanc alongside him

'Never thing much than a h2o carrier'

Deschamps had a glittering playing vocation with spells successful France, Italy, England and Spain and was regarded arsenic 1 of the game's finest antiaircraft midfielders.

But not everyone was a fan.

"Deschamps gets by due to the fact that helium gives 100%, but he'll ne'er beryllium thing much than a h2o bearer - you find players similar him connected each thoroughfare corner," said erstwhile France team-mate Eric Cantona successful an interrogation successful September 1996.

"How galore players tin you find connected thoroughfare corners who person won 2 European Cups?" responded Deschamps, referencing his Champions League last wins with Marseille successful 1993 and Juventus successful 1996.

By the clip helium retired successful 2001, helium had played successful 4 Champions League finals (and been an unused substitute arsenic Valencia mislaid successful 2001), and had won 5 home championships (two with Marseille and 3 with Juventus) arsenic good arsenic the Coppa Italia with Juventus and the FA Cup with Chelsea.

He gained 103 planetary caps, captaining France arsenic they won their archetypal World Cup successful 1998 followed 2 years aboriginal with triumph astatine Euro 2000.

Deschamps' team-mate Marcel Desailly, speaking to the BBC for the documentary How To Win The World Cup, said: "Didier has been my skipper of each my teams and you could spot helium was a earthy leader."

An obsession to win and fantabulous man-management skills

A vocation successful coaching was the evident progression and aft spells astatine Monaco, Juventus and Marseille, Deschamps became France brag successful 2012.

After losing successful the 2006 World Cup final, 2010 was a catastrophe for winless France. They finished bottommost of their group, with the players refusing to bid aft a bust-up betwixt manager Raymond Domenech and striker Nicolas Anelka.

World Cup-winning defender Laurent Blanc was adjacent successful complaint but stepped down aft the quarter-final nonaccomplishment to Spain astatine Euro 2012 - his lone tournament.

"There was a batch of respect erstwhile Didier took implicit and we knew with the obsession helium had to succeed, helium would place the close strategy for the nationalist team," added Desailly.

France, nether Deschamps, reached the quarter-finals of the 2014 World Cup, losing to eventual winners Germany, and made the last of the 2016 Euros they hosted, earlier Portugal bushed them 1-0.

France hosted Euro 2016 and reached the final, but mislaid arsenic Portugal's Eder scored the lone goal

It was wide France were gathering thing special, with Deschamps' man-management and tactical skills shining through.

In their opening lucifer astatine the 2018 World Cup, France scraped a 2-1 triumph implicit Australia and Deschamps was seen telling his players their opponents had produced doubly arsenic galore sprints and ran doubly arsenic far, with striker Kylian Mbappe highlighted for a deficiency of effort.

Midfielder Paul Pogba questioned the tactics, saying they were unsure wherever to onslaught from and Deschamps replied: "I'm not saying you, I'm saying we and I'm including myself. I volition support each of you, 1 by one, but you person to act."

"Didier finds the close words with the close idiosyncratic astatine the close clip - he's a maestro astatine that," said ex-press serviceman Philippe Tournon.

"He knows erstwhile to get retired the instrumentality and erstwhile to get retired the carrot, whether to soften the stroke oregon rap them connected the knuckles."

They met Sunday's opponents Argentina successful the past 16 successful Russia and won 4-3 successful a thriller, but Deschamps' man-management skills were again tested afterwards.

Some of the players had gone out, returned successful the aboriginal hours, noisy and boisterous, waking up those sleeping erstwhile defender Adil Rami sprayed a occurrence extinguisher astatine them, filling the edifice corridor with steam.

Tournon said: "Of people the fume detectors went off, waking the full hotel. My country was adjacent to Didier's and I thought helium was acceptable to teardrop them apart.

"Didier had a connection and, with his sixth consciousness of his narration with the players and the unity of the group, told maine 'if I laic into them it mightiness interruption thing we've been gathering for 5 oregon six weeks'."

France past bushed Uruguay and Belgium earlier a 4-2 triumph implicit Croatia gave Deschamps a World Cup occurrence arsenic some subordinate and manager.

In the celebrations, Pogba, portion pointing astatine Deschamps, was seen shouting astatine the camera "he is the star, it's him, the prima is connected his head".

'A squad stronger than the individuals'

France came into the 2022 World Cup facing questions aft failing to triumph 4 games successful June and with Ballon d'Or holder Karim Benzema picking up an injury.

Striker Benzema joined injured midfielders Pogba and N'Golo Kante, who some started the 2018 final, connected the sidelines, yet France person been capable to header without the trio.

Mbappe has 5 goals, 36-year-old Olivier Giroud has four, portion Antoine Griezmann, operating successful a deeper role, has 3 assists and created the astir opportunities successful the competition.

France's 4-2-3-1 enactment has allowed Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele to onslaught from the wide positions, portion Adrien Rabiot and Aurelien Tchouameni person provided the midfield level successful the lack of Pogba and Kante.

France qualified for the past 16 with a crippled to spare and their lone hard infinitesimal came successful the 2nd fractional of the quarter-final with England, earlier Giroud scored a precocious winner.

"Didier has created a squad that's stronger than the individuals, which possibly wasn't ever the case," said England brag Gareth Southgate.

A 2-0 triumph implicit Morocco took them into their 4th World Cup last successful 7 tournaments.

French shot writer Julien Laurens, speaking connected BBC Radio 5 Live, added: "Deschamps is doing an unthinkable job.

"This squad is precise akin to the squad that won successful 2018 - due to the fact that it's the aforesaid coach.

"They could play better, but Deschamps has made them a ruthless winning team. That's each they attraction about. It's each astir winning."

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