Didier Deschamps has blamed the virus that swept through his side for the poor performance of his side in the World Cup final. Almost half of the starting eleven of France were down to a virus days before the final of the World Cup.
There is this popular 1972 song by Johnny Nash. There are more questions than answers. Perhaps it applies in this context, as the curtains came down on the Qatar 2022 World Cup on Sunday evening. The feeling of artificiality surrounding the tournament is difficult to shake off. There will be many questions, and as Johnny Nash sang, the answers are few.
For many, it was the most exciting World Cup ever hosted, but for others, it is just another finely produced script in the long line of football entertainment. Call it a rigged tournament. Say they fixed it to fit a narrative or sell another brand – the bottom line remains that Argentina are the new world champions, and Lionel Messi fans could not care less.
Lionel Messi worshippers bow before their idol, celebrating the delivery of a promise they dreamed of for so long – Didier Deschamps feels hard done. The Les Bleus manager has blamed the virus that swept through his side days to the World Cup final for the insipid performance by his wards in the first half. Perhaps the lack of traction that left them playing catchup cost them the game.
Confessions of Didier Deschamps
France started the Qatar 2022 World Cup final with a lower gear. They failed to find their rhythm and struggled to understand what was happening. Their pace and lack of traction gave Argentina the onus to hijack the game and force them onto the backfoot. The defending champions looked nothing like the rampaging side that destroyed Argentina in 2018.
France manager Didier Deschamps has confessed that his side performed poorly in the first half against Argentina. He continued that his side lacked the correct attitude as they failed to show up in a first-half no-contest. Argentina deservedly took a 2-0 lead into the half-time break thanks to a first-half penalty and Angel di Maria’s 36th-minute goal.
The reigning champions were off the pace until the 80th minute when Kylian Mbappe struck a quickfire brace in 95 seconds to salvage the contest for France and force extra time.
Les Bleus went behind again in the 108th minute before Mbappe’s second spot-kick of the match 10 minutes later handed the Frenchman a hat-trick and took Argentina to a penalty shoot-out.
Deschamps said his side failed to show up in the first half. The former Marseille midfielder said the intensity of the Argentine side was not strange to them. The Les Bleus manager said they knew it would come but lacked the correct attitude or response. Deschamps blamed the virus that hit his side before the final for their slow response.
A curious virus hit the Les Bleus camp
Ahead of the final, a curious virus hit the French camp, with several players, including Adrien Rabiot, Dayot Upamecano and Kingsley Coman, sitting out the semi-final against Morocco through illness. The three recovered in time for the final against Argentina. Coman missed a penalty during the shoot-out loss.
Other players that fell to the virus include defensive lynchpins Raphael Varane and Ibrahima Konate.
Temperatures fell off in Doha, with the air conditioning on always. According to Deschamps, the team had a few cases of flu-like symptoms, and they tried to contain it. Deschamps praised his wards for their efforts on the pitch, saying they couldn’t have given more.
There will be stock-taking and a post-mortem. The examination determines the success of the tournament. Despite the challenges they faced, Les Bleus will take heart from the run they had in Qatar. Curiously, Argentina had many penalties at the World Cup without recourse to VAR. In all this, brand Qatar is the winner, but it leaves them under a heavy cloud of credibility issues.
As Johnny Nash sang, there are more questions than answers.
