Didier Deschamps must sacrifice France stars for World Cup success

How do you win the World Cup?

Have the best player? The best collection of players? The best manager?

While all are certainly helpful, Didier Deschamps knows all too well that the way to World Cup glory is by first and foremost being hard to beat. Few World Cup winners are remembered for the eye-catching football they played along the way.

The 2002 Brazil team is remembered for the triumvirate of Ronaldinho, Rivaldo and Ronaldo, who were all world class stars, but allowing them to flourish was a back three shielded by the industrious Kleberson and Gilberto Silva.

Four years later, Italy won the World Cup by conceding just two goals, none of which were from open play, and one of which was actually scored by an Italian. Marcello Lippi was blessed with two of the best players in the world in Francesco Totti and Alessandro Del Piero, but the thought of playing both together never crossed his mind.

Only in extra-time in the semi-final against Germany did Del Piero and Totti actually play together. A stark contrast to Sven-Goran Eriksson’s policy of getting the best players on the pitch and hope for the best.

Lippi would deploy Simone Perrotta, a hard-working central midfidler, out on the wing to give his side more defensive solidity.

In 2010, Spain made themselves hard to beat by never surrendering the football. Vicente del Bosque amassed a group of players the game had never seen, winning three tournaments on the bounce. Working hard out of possession is less important when you’re never actually out of possession. Spain conceded two goals all tournament, and won all four knockout games 1-0.

In 2014, Germany’s only goals conceded in the knockout rounds came in the 121st minute against Algeria, and Oscar’s consolation in the 7-1 drubbing of hosts Brazil.

And that brings us to Deschamps’ first World Cup win in the dugout in 2018. Karim Benzema was ostracised from the squad, leaving Olivier Giroud to lead the line. Giroud famously failed to register a single shot on target throughout the tournament, much less a goal, and he couldn’t have been happier with his efforts.

Blaise Matuidi, another hard-working midfielder in the vein of Perrotta, was deployed on the wing by Deschamps, allowing the likes of Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann to operate at their best.

For Argentina in 2022, everyone was singing from the same hymn sheet, knowing all too well they weren’t winning a World Cup without Lionel Messi, so all endeavours were centred around freeing the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.

The two favourites for the 2026 World Cup are Spain and France. France were underwhelming at the Euros, while Spain seemed to be enjoying an unexpected revival of their 2008-2012 team.

Heading into the World Cup, they were two of the three best-backed nations, with Portugal also popular at a slightly bigger price, and the consensus seems to be that one of the former two will be victorious in New Jersey on 19th July.

France arguably have the best players – according to Transfermarkt, they have five of the 20 most valuable players at the tournament, two more than England and three more than Spain, Germany and Portugal – and that excludes Rayan Cherki, Warren-Zaire Emery and Bradley Barcola.

But that may be where Les Bleus’ problems begin. It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen a mutiny in the France camp, and Deschamps’ biggest challenge is surely keeping his star names happy.

Mbappe has no desire to do any running out of possession, so he must be carried by players who are willing to step up and do the dirty work, but who are they? Rayan Cherki is hardly a grafter, while the likes Desire Doue, Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola are all much more comfortable in possession than out of it.

Of course, Deschamps will only name a maximum of three out of Doue, Olise, Cherki and Barcola, and that might be reduced to two if he opts for Zaire-Emery in a deeper role alongside Aurelien Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot, and there’s an argument that Deschamps would be better served with a Marcus Thuram joining the attack.

Thuram has on occasion filled in on the left flank, and the Inter man provides attributes none of his more creative counterparts offer. The 28-year-old stands at 6ft 4ins, providing a physical profile the French attack is missing and his tactical intelligence would help better platform the more talented players in the team.

But above all else, Thuram must recognise that if he is to play a key part in this World Cup, it would be as one of Deschamps’ foot soldiers and nothing more, a role the bigger names might be less willing to accept.

France have a manager who’s been there and done it and cares little for entertaining football. At his disposal are an all-star cast: Mbappe, Olise, Dembele, Doue, Barcola, Cherki.

But it’s one of the less fancied names that could prove most important of all.