Didier Deschamps bounded in to face the media and instantly felt the hand of history being placed on his shoulder. France are two wins away from a place alongside the immortals and their head coach was quickly aware of how this week will be.
They call Deschamps ‘the Little General’ and he has this jaunty manner about him, constantly on the move in his chair, fidgeting with his jacket and trying to disarm those who pose tricky questions with a smile and a line of self-deprecation.
‘There are four lucky teams in the semi-final and we are glad to be one of them,’ said Deschamps, quietly and politely. ‘Few people expected Morocco to be there but they have only conceded a single goal and deserve to be there. They have a chance to get to the final, so do we.’
Didier Deschamps (pictured) could lift his third World Cup title if France win this year in Qatar
Later came an enquiry about his contract. It expires in 19 days and there is a desire to know what he will do next. Will the French Football Federation offer him an extension? Would the 54-year-old even want to sign a new deal? Another smile, another nod.
‘Well, I know I will be working for the rest of this week,’ he replied. ‘After that we will see.’
Perhaps the time has arrived for Deschamps to pursue a new challenge. He has done 10 years in charge of France and, during the decade, he has contested the final of a European Championship, won the Nations League, a World Cup and is now odds-on in Doha to go back-to-back.
France defeated England on Saturday night 2-1 to secure their passage to the semi-finals
Deschamps currently occupies an orbit with Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany) and Mario Zagallo (Brazil) for reaching the game’s summit as both player and manager. Should France, the best team left in the competition, win in Lusail next Sunday, he will join Pele with three gold medals.
If he never set foot in a technical area again after that, Deschamps’s reputation would never be diminished. Vittorio Pozzo is the only architect of a successful World Cup defence, backing up Italy’s 1934 success in 1938, but the feats — given how much the game has changed — are not comparable.
France have a reputation for impetuosity and it would have been easy for them to jettison Deschamps in a fit of pique after his team lost the 2016 Euros in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Portugal in a game they ought to have won.
France could have removed Deschamps from his position after their 2016 Euros Final defeat
They will take on Morocco next who Deschamps who said ‘have a chance to go to the final’
The benefit of staying loyal, though, has been handsomely rewarded and what he has at his disposal in Qatar is not so much a squad but a 25-man treasure chest — think of how formidable they would have been without six key injuries, to stars such as Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante.
France vs Morocco H2H: France have never lost to Morocco but have played two draws
Yet talent alone does not guarantee success and Deschamps’ work has been outstanding throughout this campaign, finding the right blend at all times and striking the right tone. He never gets mentioned when Premier League jobs come up and it does make you wonder why.
There was an opportunity in the past. Deschamps, who took Monaco to the Champions League final in 2004 in his first year as a coach, was interviewed by Liverpool on June 23, 2010 having guided Marseille to a league and cup double.
His presentation to then managing director Christian Purslow was impressive and, at the age of 41, Liverpool liked the fact he came with youthful exuberance. The board opted, however, to go with Roy Hodgson after having doubts about the Frenchman’s lack of experience of managing in England.
If the opportunity arises in the future, experience is one thing he will not lack — not that he did then, anyway. Deschamps is a man at the top of his game and it radiated in the early hours of Sunday morning that he was having the time of his life.
You could see he felt the biggest obstacle on France’s path to glory had been successfully cleared and that view was added to by the fact that he was almost reverential about England’s qualities when it came to offering an appraisal.
He felt the biggest obstacle on France’s path to glory, England, had been successfully cleared
But he gave praise to the Three Lions saying that Gareth Southgate’s side had a lot of ‘quality’
‘England were very good,’ said Deschamps. ‘They have quality in all areas of the pitch. I am certain that we could have done better but maybe it was because they did not let us do that to them. Sometimes it can be something small — a pass is too strong or not strong enough.
‘England were so quick and strong and energetic that we had to defend very well. They have some young players who play at many of the top clubs in Europe. I regret that we gave them a penalty, then another one, but I give credit to my players as well. These games are about small details.’
And it is the small details that the Little General invariably gets right. Much can happen in football, we have seen that so many times before, but it really would be a shock if France do not go on from here to set themselves apart. It is what Deschamps, especially, deserves.
Football may not be coming home — but Dave the cat is!
Kyle Walker and John Stones have adopted a stray tabby they befriended at their Al Wakrah base.
Dave — named by Stones — was quickly adopted as the team’s mascot, with the Manchester City duo seen with him most evenings.
Dave was taken to a local vet for a blood test and vaccinations two hours after the squad departed. He will spend four months in quarantine before heading to England.
Ben White back in action after his early departure from the World Cup
Arsenal defender Ben White has returned to training for the first time since leaving the England camp in Qatar.
The 25-year-old quit Gareth Southgate’s squad for personal reasons and it was not known when he would return to action.
But White flew into Dubai on Saturday, before England crashed out of the World Cup, and trained for the first time with Mikel Arteta’s squad the following morning.
Now he is in contention to play in the club’s final Dubai Super Cup match against AC Milan on Tuesday night.
Ben White (pictured) is back in training for Arsenal in Dubai after his early World Cup departure
Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp insisted Liverpool are on track to challenge for honours despite an injury to Luis Diaz and losing 3-1 to Lyon in the Dubai Super Cup.
Colombia winger Diaz was returning from a knee injury but could now be out for months after suffering a setback at Liverpool’s winter training camp. ‘He is not in the best place and it is a big disappointment for him and us,’ said Reds manager Klopp. ‘He felt something in training and we wanted to be cautious so had a closer look. Then the news came and it was a proper smash in the face.’
Kyle Walker lives up to his word ahead of England’s clash with France
Kyle Walker came good on his claim that he ‘would not roll out the red carpet’ for Kylian Mbappe, as he was caught on video snubbing the striker’s offer of a handshake in the tunnel before Saturday’s quarter-final.
Ahead of the game, the England right back spoke about his plans to deal with the French superstar and was clearly in the zone before kick-off.
Kyle Walker ignored Kylian Mbappe’s (pictured) request for a handshake in 2-1 loss to France