In a press conference, the coach of the Blues made his mea culpa after the defeat against Croatia.
How do you explain this new defeat?
“The opponent’s energy is so much higher and that makes it hard to fight. We certainly didn’t have the means in this match. We conceded a goal from the penalty spot at the very start, that puts them in comfort and we in difficulty. But it’s like this gathering, where organizations are very busy. We lacked strength, energy, character. We have to accept it, even if it hurts to not having been able to win a match. These meetings in June have been complicated since I’ve been here. This time it’s even more complicated. It takes a questioning. I include myself in it, the questioning is difficult. first for me: I did not have the strength or the sufficient energy to transmit to them (Deschamps was bereaved by the death of his father at the start of the rally, Ed.) (…) I would have had bad holidays anyway, even if we had won the matches, but for more personal reasons. It’s a bad time. You have to appreciate the good times s, without forgetting that it remains only football. Losing is nothing more that can annoy me, but you have to accept it and make sure you get back on the right track.”
Are you worried about the World Cup?
“There are no certainties in football. I’m not worried. I will have the analysis and the reflection with my staff, but there will be a need for many, many more things if we want to maintain the standing that is ours. We will have to do a lot more at the start of the new school year to prepare for the deadline that is ours. From the moment we have not done what was necessary, we must also do our own self-criticism. results prove us wrong. I hope we can recover all our strength, our character and our fighting spirit. In the locker room, no one is smiling. But I was a player too, and I know that they don’t think that one thing is to enjoy their families. They need it too, before leaving. There was no energy, but we also lacked character. Everything is a bit linked. Is it a bad thing for a good thing? If we see ourselves too good, we’ll have to react. We didn’t meet the high level requirements on this gathering. ent, certainly because we did not have the means.
Do you still learn some lessons?
“There is always interest. I prefer to keep the glass half full, even if there it is only a quarter full. This gathering allowed me to give young people time to grow in strength. , even if it means making mistakes that pay cash. There are always answers, additional data compared to certain players, the competition that there may be. There is more, at least… There, there is there were four matches, that inevitably brings new elements, just in case. In that respect, it’s always rewarding.”