Didier Deschamps will reveal his 26-man World Cup roster during the TF1 live newscast at 8:00 p.m. on November 9. When assembling a team, France’s head coach is careful, always taking into account the composition of his team, the mix of egos, the dynamics of personalities, and the balance of skills. But this time, the players he keeps losing to injuries have made his task more challenging.
Paul Pogba is the most recent member of the France team to pull out of the World Cup due to continuing knee injury complications. Prior to him, N’Golo Kanté, a fellow midfielder, was unable to play due to a persistent hamstring problem. Due to persistent calf problems, goalkeeper Mike Maignan is also a major worry, and it’s still unclear whether defender Raphael Varane will be ready in time after limping out during Man United’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea on October 22. Defenders Lucas Hernandez and Presnel Kimpembe’s health is in doubt and experienced forward Karim Benzema hasn’t been feeling well for some time, missing Real Madrid’s last three matches.
Deschamps has a lot on his plate, and losing Pogba and Kante in particular is devastating. Even if they haven’t been at their best in months and aren’t the same players they were when they guided this side to World Cup victory in Russia four years ago, their absence in Qatar is crucial.
Deschamps will have to replace Pogba’s leadership, swagger, and character both on and off the field in his preferred 3-4-1-2 configuration. He will need to take Kanté’s place in terms of activity, selflessness, and positional knowledge. The French are deep, of course. Aurélien Tchouaméni was always seen as Pogba and Kanté’s successor, but it appears that his moment has come sooner than we had thought. He will now play a significant role at the age of 22.
Tchouaméni has advanced his game by gaining tactical understanding, presence, experience, and confidence. His performances with Real Madrid thus far this season have been quite encouraging. But is he capable of leading and starting in a World Cup? Even while it may be too early, considering his wealth of talent, you would not rule out the possibility that he will have a fantastic tournament.
Adrien Rabiot ought to be seated next to him in that midfield. He’s always been liked by Deschamps. They have had their ups and downs, such as when the Paris-born and bred midfielder declined to be on the reserve list prior to the 2018 World Cup, which Deschamps labeled a “huge mistake,” but the France manager is impressed with his energy, intellect, and left-footedness. After his summer transfer to Manchester United fell through, Rabiot is now doing well at Juventus and has been one of their finest players thus far this season.
He has a lot of experience and is only 27. Deschamps is confident that the middle of the pitch will be strong, effective, proactive, and full of energy with Tchouaméni and Rabiot. That third midfielder is more difficult to identify if he did change his tactical arrangement, going back to a 4-3-3 or even a 3-5-2, for instance. None of the contenders, including Matteo Guendouzi, Youssouf Fofana, Boubacar Kamara, Jordan Veretout, Eduardo Camavinga, and Khephren Thuram, stands out as Deschamps’ favorite or is clearly superior to the rest. When he made his debut back in September, Fofana did well. Guendouzi is liked by Deschamps. Camavinga has not played well for Real Madrid thus far, and Kamara has only recently returned from an injury.
Regardless of his decision, Deschamps is aware that 2018 has long since passed. Thirteen members of the 23-man squad won’t be traveling to Qatar: Steve Mandanda, Samuel Umtiti, Adil Rami, Djibril Sidibé, Benjamin Mendy, Paul Pogba, Kanté, Blaise Matuidi, Steven N’zonzi, Thomas Lemar, Nabil Fekir, and Florian Thauvin are all injured or unavailable, and Varane or Hernandez may be the squad’s Nos. 14 and 15 by the time it This turnover is enormous. While some of those absences were unavoidable and out of Deschamps’ control, others experienced a major decline in form, and a few were no longer active players.
Deschamps’ Les Bleus team will undoubtedly arrive in Doha on November 16 knowing exactly what made France 2018 such a success because returning players like Hugo Lloris will share what they discovered in Russia. The humiliation of losing in the group stages to the World Cup holders is what Deschamps hopes to avoid, as it happened to France in 2002 after 1998, as well as to Italy in 2006, Spain in 2010, and Germany in 2014 after 2018.
Deschamps will undoubtedly rely on his two superstars, Kylian Mbappe and Benzema, to prevent such a humiliation. If France wants to keep its trophy, it must be its World Cup, as Brazil was the last nation to do so back in 1962! The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner, Karim Benzema, is eager to make an impact after an eight-year absence from this competition due to his expulsion from the club. Mbappé shares the same aspiration to be the finest of the best and continuously make history. It would be extraordinary to win a second World Cup at such a young age.
The two attackers are aware that this year’s championship game will take place on December 18, one day before Karim Benzema turns 35 and two days before Kylian Mbappé turns 24. What a gift it would be to win everything!
Last but not least, Deschamps will need to employ every bit of his talent to ensure that these next four weeks are a success, especially his man-management skills. Adversity, negativity, and issues within the team will all be used by him to really bring his guys together, energizing them even more. For him, Kante, and the other players who will miss the competition, Pogba has already emailed several of his teammates to ask them to bring the Jules Rimet trophy back to Paris. If they succeed will be determined over time.
