Deschamps Puts Spain Ahead in France World Cup View
Didier Deschamps put Spain ahead of France in the france world cup race, saying the Spaniards are the clear favourites before France open against Senegal. He still said France legitimately want the title, but the manager lowered expectations around a squad that is undergoing an overhaul.
Deschamps On Spain
"If there's a favourite team, it's Spain, even though France legitimately aspires to win the title. But it's a long road ahead. France has top-level potential, even with a squad overhaul. I'm not going to consider the French team stronger than the others, but the clear favourite is Spain, I have no doubt about that."
That is a direct shift in tone from a coach whose side reached the 2022 World Cup final and finished as runners-up. France are still being spoken about as contenders, but Deschamps chose to place the pressure elsewhere and framed Spain as the standard-bearer before the tournament fully gets moving.
France Against Senegal
France open their campaign against Senegal, a matchup that reaches back to the 2002 World Cup opener in Seoul, where Senegal beat the then-reigning champions 1-0. Deschamps said most of his current players were not born in 2002, and he rejected the idea of revenge by calling it a different era.
"Most of my players were not born in 2002. There is no revenge; that was 24 years ago. There is another page to write. We will do everything so that the result is in our favour this time."
He also pointed to Senegal's level in blunt terms, describing them as one of the best teams and citing their players in top clubs, a strong midfield, and athletic and technical quality. Ousmane Dembele remains part of Deschamps' plan, even though the coach said he had numerous injuries, which makes France's attacking options more fragile as the opener arrives.
For France, the immediate task is simple: start cleanly against Senegal while carrying the weight of being 2022 World Cup runners-up. Deschamps has already set the hierarchy around the title race, and he has done it before his own team has even taken the field.
