Paris: Speaking for the first time since Euro 2020, France head coach Didier Deschamps took full responsibility for their performances as the World No.1 crashed out in the quarterfinals. The 2018 World Cup champions lost to Switzerland 5-4 in the penalties.
“Our elimination is linked to many elements. It is my responsibility. The initial tactical choice did not work. Making three changes is not a mistake, it is a choice. I know what got me to that point.” said Deschamps to L’Equipe.
France gave away a 3-1 lead against Switzerland as the Les Blues crashed out of the tournament after Swiss custodian Yann Sommer denied Kylian Mbappé’s shot in the penalties to take his team ahead.
After their stunning 2018, France were one of the favourites to add to their silverware, and their shocking exit garnered a lot of criticism. Deschamps was ready to shoulder all of them. “The hardest thing to digest – and I am only just doing that now – is knowing what we are capable of doing and seeing what we have done,” he said.
“And, I’ll say it again, to be 3-1 up in the 80th minute against Switzerland and see what happened afterwards…Solidity has always been our DNA. At 3-3, there is inevitably some nervousness but everything remains possible.
“There is the opportunity of (Kingsley) Coman and the ball which hits the bar. You have to be realistic. At 3-1, not a person in the stadium, or elsewhere, will have said we were not going to qualify.
“I don’t want to look for excuses. I know that I am the only one in charge. When everything is going well, all is not rosy, and when things are going badly, all is not black either,” added the 52-year-old.
The most debatable aspect of the whole scenario was the retreat of Real Madrid star Karim Benzema who gave France their lead with two goals. Benzema was called back in the extra time for Olivier Giroud and was not even on the field during the shoot out.
Experts believed that the absence of Benzema impacted heavily in the defeat. “Karim had nothing to do with it. Everything he had to do, he did it very well,” Deschamps said when asked. “I had to change the team for different reasons. I know that is not an ideal scenario.
“But we were 3-1 up in the 80th minute and what had been our strength to that point, we lacked. I could have done things differently, yes. But we were 3-1 up in the 80th minute. Neither he nor I can go back,” he opined.
Although France’s position has gone downhill in the FIFA World Rankings, it is expected that the Les Blues will make a comeback as they would seek to regain their top position once again when they defend their world title in Qatar next year.
