France’s World Cup MELTDOWN after England humiliation: Furious Adrien Rabiot hits out at teammates’ ‘shameful’ attitude during dismal first half as L’Equipe gives THREE Premier League stars 2/10
French star Adrien Rabiot has criticized his team-mates’ “unacceptable” and “shameful” attitude after Les Bleus crashed out of the World Cup in Miami with a whimper.
After being eliminated in the semi-final against Spain in Dallas, the tournament favorites aim to regain their pride by meeting Thomas Tuchel’s England in the dead rubber bronze final on Saturday afternoon.
But the 2018 champions emerged magnificently in the Sunshine State, sending four goals to the Three Lions in a shocking first-half performance.
Didier Deschamps attempted to stop the slide during the first-half hydration break, but all did not look well in the French camp, with Man City star Rayan Cherki seen waving nonchalantly at his coach and choosing to ignore his instructions.
Cherki, along with fellow Premier League stars Ibrahima Konate and Malo Gusto, received just 2/10 from L’Equipe, the French media outlet known for its savage criticism of players.
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France star Adrien Rabiot criticizes team-mates’ ‘disgraceful’ display against England
Les Bleus, under coach Didier Deschamps, scored four goals in the first half as they lost 6-4 in the bronze final in Miami.
French publication L’Equipe gave 2/10 to the three stars of the Premier League
Despite making a second-half comeback in a more respectable 6-4 loss, Rabiot was equally critical of his teammates following the defeat in Miami.
‘We started the first half quite shamefully (losing 0-4),’ he told BeIN Sports.
‘I saw behavior from some players that I had never seen before. This is a bit disappointing because this was the last successful match in this competition.
‘There was a lot of disappointment after the defeat against Spain but there was work to be done until the end and we can’t settle for such a sloppy game.
‘We talked at half-time, said we needed to show some pride in ourselves and it was a lot better in the second half because some of the behavior in the first half was unacceptable.’
Rabiot’s rebuke came after France captain Kylian Mbappe criticized his manager’s ‘sloppy’ tactics and poor communication with his team-mates following their elimination by Spain.
“We had three men against two in midfield and that’s very difficult against Spain,” Mbappe said. ‘Fabian’ [Ruiz] and Rodry [Hernández Cascante] He had plenty of time to play.
‘There was a lack of communication in the press. ‘I think we should have put pressure on the men and force them to run with us.’
Mbappe also shared that he did not believe France were playing the game they wanted ‘technically and tactically’.
“If you don’t do what you have to do in the World Cup semi-final, you can’t win,” he added, openly mocking his team-mates. ‘He respected the Spain game plan and what the team did in general.
They like to control the ball and the tempo. Our plan was to press them up so they couldn’t keep their rhythm. Because they are better than us at controlling the game. We failed to do this. We were very sloppy technically. We couldn’t hurt them while we had the chance.
‘Even when we recovered the ball our first touches were not good enough. This gives defeat. This is a huge disappointment. But if we’re being objective, we haven’t put in all the ingredients we need to get to the final.’
France captain Kylian Mbappe criticized his teammates after losing 2-0 to Spain in Dallas
Mbappe has been managed by Deschamps for his entire international career and the head coach oversaw his breakthrough at the World Cup in 2018.
The 1998 World Cup champion also gave his armband to Mbappe after transferring Antoine Griezmann to the then 24-year-old player three years ago.
Mbappe was also quick to ensure that he was blamed for the defeat, adding matter-of-factly: ‘At the end of the day, when you win you get all the glory and when you don’t – sorry – you have to take the dirt.
Deschamps was hoping to leave his post as coach of Les Bleus with a high performance and take his last role with the national team at the 2026 World Cup.
Zinedine Zidane is expected to take over from his former teammate and will be tasked with unlocking the huge potential in his star-studded squad.
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