It was a night when, as Didier Deschamps put it, the light went out by half-time. A remodelled France side had been comfortably beaten by Italy in their Nations League opener and a Parisian crowd made their feelings perfectly clear upon the conclusion. Three days later Les Bleus’ roadshow moved to Lyon for a meeting with Belgium, where the head coach’s name was booed before kick-off. Deschamps attributed that to provincial enmities but there was the clear sense of a once glorious tenure outlasting its welcome.
Almost two years on, Deschamps stands on the verge of genuine greatness. How can the assessment be any other way when, should the next six days go to plan, he would be only the second manager to win the World Cup twice? The power is firmly back on for France and will surge to new levels if they underline his renaissance against Spain.
