No men’s world champions have successfully defended their title since Brazil kept the crown in Chile 60 years ago. The feat has been accomplished only twice in the 92-year history of the World Cup, although the possibility of a curse upon the holders is the least of Didier Deschamps’ concerns ahead of France’s pursuit of the hat-trick.
Deschamps seemed worry-free before Tuesday’s opener against Australia, in fairness, as he posed with a host of star-struck journalists who embarrassingly asked for selfies at his pre-match press conference. As for that so-called curse: “This is based on statistics, probabilities and facts,” the France head coach said, validating a theory he was attempting to dismiss. “We have our objective. Everything that came before is on the sideline now. We will be ready.”
The pertinent facts relating to France’s title defence are thus: injuries have deprived them of Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kanté, the two central midfielders who started their final victory over Croatia four years ago, the central defender Presnel Kimpembe, another World Cup winner in Russia, the back-up goalkeeper Mike Maignan, the Bundesliga’s leading goalscorer Christopher Nkunku and, as of Saturday, the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema.
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“It was hard for us to lose Karim,” the captain, Hugo Lloris, said. “We know how important Karim is within the team and also for French football and for the younger players in the squad. But despite the disappointment and sadness of seeing him leave we need to continue, get our heads down and prepare ourselves for a World Cup. Yes, we are a young squad but the young players are very mature and they have dreamed of playing in a World Cup and showing what they can do. Our more experienced players will guide the younger ones but they have what it takes. They are at the best European clubs, they have talent and they have peace of mind.”
And they have Kylian Mbappé. It was at the last World Cup where the forward established his superstar status by becoming only the second teenager to score in a final. A 17-year-old Pelé scored twice in Brazil’s defeat of Sweden in 1958 but missed the 1962 final victory over Czechoslovakia after being injured in the second game. France’s hopes of emulating Brazil’s experience may rest on Mbappé avoiding Pelé’s fate.
“He is a great player who played a very important role on the pitch in Russia,” said Deschamps. “He was very mature then and is even more mature now because of what has happened over the past four years. He has even more global recognition now and more responsibility. He has what it takes to stand out from the crowd. His aura is second to none. That was the case four years ago and it’s still the case now, but he remains a team player who needs his team-mates around him to help him perform. He has an ability which few players have to be decisive in any part of the game.”
The absence of Benzema and Nkunku should improve Olivier Giroud’s prospects as the Milan forward looks to replace Thierry Henry as France’s all-time leading goalscorer. Giroud needs two goals to equal Henry’s 51 and despite his own unwanted record in Russia, where he produced no shots on target from 13 attempts, the 36-year-old’s presence would be well received by Mbappé. In September Mbappé caused another stir when claiming he has more freedom with France than at Paris Saint-Germain because of Giroud’s ability to occupy a defence. Deschamps believes Mbappé’s appreciation of the veteran is now, finally, shared by many in France.
“It is no longer the case that people love to criticise Giroud,” he said. “They love Giroud in France. Olivier is a veteran of our squad. Even when he’s not scoring goals, and we all know he went through a dry spell, he’s still very important to the team.”
France began their 2018 campaign with a 2-1 defeat of Australia but Lloris wants more. “I don’t want to have the same feeling that we had in Russia,” the Tottenham goalkeeper said. “Then we bagged the win but the performance was not up to scratch. We want to perform at a great level to give us impetus for the rest of the tournament. We want to have an adventure similar to the 2016 Euros or the 2018 World Cup. We want to live the highs, have the emotions running high, but we know that elite football is very demanding and sometimes you have to suffer. This team is ready to take on that challenge.”
The holders have suffered at this World Cup before launching their defence. Confidence remains intact, best underlined by Deschamps’ reasoning for not calling up a reserve to replace the stricken Benzema in his now 25-man squad. “I believe we have everything that we need,” said the third man to win a World Cup as both a player and manager, after Mário Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer. “Do we have less ambition or less desire to get to the end because of what has happened? No, I don’t think so.”
