Didier Deschamps has responded to criticism about the style of play of his France team, suggesting that those who find it boring can watch something else instead of the Euro 2024 semi-final against Spain on Tuesday.
Les Bleus have faced criticism for lacking entertainment in their matches, with BBC pundit and former Premier League striker Chris Sutton saying last week that he would “close the curtains” if they were playing in his backyard.
This comes as France has reached the tournament’s last four in Germany without any of their players scoring a goal from open play. Their three goals at the Euros have consisted of two own goals and a penalty by Kylian Mbappe in the 1-1 draw with Poland during the group stage.
At Monday’s pre-match news conference, Deschamps was asked by a journalist about playing “boring football.” He responded, “If you are bored, watch another game—you don’t have to watch us, it’s fine.”
“Maybe it’s not the same as it was in the past, but we do have the capability to spark emotions and make lots of French men and women happy with our results, especially after a difficult period in our country.”
Spain boss Luis de la Fuente dismissed the suggestion that France are boring, saying at this stage it is all about the result.
“We all try to build a gameplan that will help you win,” he said.
“Spain are an eye-catching team, I won’t deny that, it’s our DNA, but in the end, here it’s about winning. We want to play, but we want to be practical.
“Our way to get the result is to try to be eye-catching. But at this stage it’s the result that counts because it is how your job will get judged and evaluated in the end.”
Mbappe ‘in the right headspace’ despite poor form
A significant factor in France’s lack of goals has been the disappointing form of forwards Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann.
Mbappe has struggled since being required to wear a mask after breaking his nose during France’s opening 1-0 win against Austria.
The striker, who joined Real Madrid from Paris St-Germain this summer, scored eight of France’s 16 goals at the World Cup in Qatar two years ago, helping them reach the final, where they were defeated by Argentina.
Despite having scored only one goal so far in Germany, France captain Mbappe is expected to start against Spain.
“We are convinced Kylian is in the right headspace, as are all of our players,” Deschamps added.
“He had an issue with his back, took a blow to the nose – it could have been the end of the road for him but he’s still here.
“His field of vision is changed and it was a huge shock to him but I’m convinced he will do everything he can [against Spain].”
Atletico Madrid striker Griezmann has yet to score, but team-mate Adrien Rabiot says all the players are right behind him.
“I think everyone is surprised because we know what Antoine is capable of,” Rabiot said.
“We saw what he pulled out of the bag at the World Cup, where he was at the peak of his powers as a player.
“I don’t know the reason. We have high expectations when it comes to Antoine and we expect a lot because he’s capable.
“If someone’s having a rough patch then we’re here to support them, but obviously it’d be better if we had the Kylian and the Antoine [we know] playing here at the Euros.”