World Cup 2026: Didier Deschamps finding balance in superstar squad

It’s hard to argue against the claim that France has the best squad in international football.

So, you might think that managing such an elite group of players would be an easy task, but that’s not always true.

For proof, look at the number of cases where clubs have collapsed due to the wealth of talent signed or the difficulty of managing the personalities of superstars.

Since taking charge in France in 2012, Didier Deschamps has continually reinvented his sides and made the most of France’s huge talent pool.

More impressively, he gained notoriety for doing so midway through the tournament; By changing the system game by game to arrive at formulas that will win the World Cup or come close to it.

This familiar pattern looks set to emerge at this World Cup as well.

Deschamps has been particularly adept at maximizing his attacking talent and appears to have prioritized getting the best out of Kylian Mbappe.

Mbappe, now 27, prefers to be involved in the game rather than being a last-line runner finishing moves; He did this very successfully as a 19-year-old player in France’s 2018 win.

Getting him into the number nine spot while mobilizing the rest of the squad is Deschamps’ biggest challenge this World Cup.

In qualifying, Deschamps had established a logical, if unconventional, system. On paper it was a lopsided 4-2-4 or 4-2-3-1.

Hugo Ekitike played on the left wing, Mbappe dropped deep and went wide, closing in on the Liverpool forward. Ekitike from the wings or Dembele from a more standard number 10 position can move to centre-forward positions. Michael Olise was playing on the right wing.

In the opening match of the World Cup against Senegal, Deschamps prepared France in a similar manner, with Desire Doue replacing the injured Ekitike.