Stick or twist with the old guard? France face a choice before World Cup

16-Jun-2022 14:01:22 | The Guardian

Being loyal to players has worked for Didier Deschamps but his team was worryingly out of sorts this month

By Raphaël Jucobin for Get French Football News

Any attempt at drawing conclusions from this month’s international games comes with the obvious caveat that the players are quite simply exhausted. A grotesque saturation of games, fuelled by the footballing authorities’ never-ending appetite for competition and their complete disregard for footballers’ health, has resulted in an abysmal dip in the quality of play across the board. With next season’s non-stop 11-month football extravaganza looming large, the players can be forgiven for taking a breather.

In France’s case, though, there are other factors responsible for what was the worst international break of Didier Deschamps’ decade in charge. Their defence was shaky, their build-up play was soporific and their finishing touch was non-existent. Deschamps picked some new faces and experimental selections but, just five months before the World Cup, France are no closer to knowing how they will line up.