At the end of a sluggish first round at Euro 2024, the atmosphere does not seem as good as usual in the France team. With substitutes unhappy with their fate and training deemed inconsistent by part of the workforce. In this context, Daniel Riolo questions the longevity of Didier Deschamps at the head of the Blues and his ability to unite his group after twelve years as coach.
The smiles, jokes and hugs at the start of the gathering gave way to a slightly less euphoric atmosphere. At the end of a disappointing first round at Euro 2024, the atmosphere does not seem as good as usual in the France team. Some substitutes, who did not play a single minute in the tournament, are unhappy with their fate in Germany. They have the impression of being less considered by Didier Deschamps, who announces his team compositions in small groups, mainly addressing the starters. Enough to create a certain unease within the troops, as they prepare for the round of 16 against Belgium, scheduled for Monday July 1 in Düsseldorf (6 p.m.).
Part of the workforce also believes that the training sessions offered across the Rhine by Didier Deschamps and his staff lack consistency. A feeling reinforced by the sluggish results of the Blues, who finished second in group D by narrowly beating Austria (1-0), before conceding a draw against the Netherlands (0-0) and against Poland ( 1-1). Without scoring a single goal in the game.
“I don’t know if a coach can last that long”
“That would reflect an atmosphere that is not as good as usual,” observes Daniel Riolo. “The life of the group and the character of the team is what has always been the strength of this French team, in any case the strength by Deschamps. More than the game, it is first of all the desire of this group to defend together, not to attack together since they attack little, but to resist any opponent and above all to scare. with an extraordinary mind and there, we would discover that there are beginning to be flaws in the monstrous edifice built by Deschamps over the past twelve years.
Daniel Riolo: “We are beginning to discover that there are flaws in the monstrous edifice built by Deschamps over the past 12 years” – 06/26
The member of After Foot on RMC wonders about the longevity of Didier Deschamps, who took charge of the Blues in 2012: “Twelve years is a long time. Twelve years of a speech, of a way of doing, motivation, discussions in the locker room. I don’t know if a coach can last that long. Even if he has enormous qualities, after a while, the discourse and renewal is complicated. It’s the wear and tear of power, like for a president, when you’re at this point in the middle of a popular context like football, with the media and the players, I find that staying for twelve years is a lot. already enormous. I always thought it was too much.”
