Furious Kylian Mbappe hits out at France manager Didier Deschamps’ ‘sloppy’ tactics and takes aim at his team-mates following pathetic World Cup exit – as Zinedine Zidane closes in on immediate appointment
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Kylian Mbappe wasted no time in sharing his feelings as he criticized the way Les Bleus were set up by coach Didier Deschamps following France’s elimination from the World Cup by Spain on Tuesday.
France had been the biggest favorites in the tournament due to its wealth of attacking talents such as Real Madrid superstar, Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise and Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele.
But the side were given a scare by a united Spanish team who beat France 2-0 to book their place in the final against England or Argentina on Sunday.
Speaking immediately after the defeat, Mbappe pointed out that technical incompatibility on the field played a role.
“We had three men against two in midfield and that’s very difficult against Spain,” Mbappe said. ‘Fabian (Ruiz) and Rodri 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.’
Kylian Mbappe criticized the way head coach Didier Deschamps set up the national team against Spain after the final whistle.
The heavy favorites were eliminated 2-0 in the World Cup semifinals in Dallas on Tuesday.
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. ‘Spain respected the 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 brings 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.’
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.
Mbappe is believed to have a positive relationship with France interim coach Zinedine Zidane
Tuesday’s exit marks Deschamps’ last game in charge of the team, with the national team coach stepping down at the end of the tournament.
It is planned to replace him with former national teammate Zinedine Zidane, who is awaiting the post following his departure from Real Madrid in 2021.
Daily Mail Sport reported on Wednesday that the France legend was planning to bring in another former team-mate, Fabien Barthez, and that the national team was keen to solidify plans for Zidane’s appointment following the defeat in Dallas.
Zidane is believed to have a similarly strong relationship with Mbappe, stemming from their mutual friendship with France’s security chief Mohamed Sanhadji.
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