EXCLUSIVE | Marcel Desailly: ‘Didier Deschamps has that winning mentality.’

He showed that very quickly at Monaco, with an average team with the likes of Patrice Evra, Jérôme Rothen, Fernando Morientes – everyone saw that this coach has something special – that he took a team that was good but not extraordinary to the Champions League final. Then he followed that up by taking over at Juventus, who had been relegated, and securing promotion to Serie A.

It’s a similar energy to Jose Mourinho, who took Porto to victory and then there was belief around him. Mourinho went to Chelsea so he had far more exposure because it was the Premier League, whereas Didier went to Olympique de Marseille – where he won them their only Ligue 1 title for decades. OK it was another time, Paris wasn’t at the same level, but he succeeded at Marseille which is a super-difficult club. He knew how to restructure them, to organise the administrative side and the sporting side, to guide the team to victory.

At that time he could have gone to China or elsewhere but he wanted to stay, he was appointed France coach after Laurent Blanc and he immediately put his stamp on the team. He reached the final of Euro 2016, bringing through a quality generation – with that winning mentality. They didn’t win but he instilled that culture in them – he knows how to select the right men.

Then came 2018! No one expected us to win at the beginning of the tournament. I said “France if everyone is at their best”, but I didn’t really believe it deep down. But he did it again, by putting in place the 4-2-3-1 [or an asymmetrical 4-4-2] built around Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kanté with Blaise Matuidi on the left. That’s where the magic was. Again, he knew how to pick the right men for the occasion, to give them the winning mentality and that confidence to take them all the way.

Then in 2022 he did it again. We won in 1998 and in 2000 but in 2002 we failed because we didn’t know how to manage the pressure of being world and European champions and trying to retain the title. Maybe it was because we didn’t have a coach with that winning mentality to push us to surpass ourselves again. But Deschamps had it. He renewed the team a little, he also relied on the old guard and he went all the way again. Say what you like but it came down to Randal Kolo Muani in the 122nd minute – but imagine if he’d scored that! Deschamps knew how to raise France to an unbelievable level.

And the continuity is there. Look [at the recent international break] – he has successfully put together two teams. But props also have to go to the French youth system. Bravo! In every position, in every part of the pitch, we have three, maybe four, players.

Marcel Desailly was speaking exclusively to Get French Football News courtesy of BetVictor Online Casino

GFFN | Jeremy Smith