The Blues dream of breaking the curse of the world champions

“We will do everything to bring the trophy home“. At 36, Olivier Giroud is still hungry. And all his little friends also from the French team before the start of the World Cup. If they were to lift the trophy on December 18, it would be because the reigning world champions would have overcome the Indian mark and… curse.

Do not see in it a pessimistic vision with esoteric accents or the predictions of an octopus soothsayer. Statistical reality. the last three world champions (Italy, Spain, Germany) were eliminated from the group stage. “You can go back even further.Didier Deschamps jokes. Very fair. With France in 2002, four of the last five defending champions exited before the round of 16. “I’ll take an extra aspirinthe coach grinds. Do you want to undermine my morals? You won’t make it“. And to continue.It shows the high level of difficulty and demand. It is very difficult to win. There’s more to saving. We’re not going to go there to tell each other because we’re world champions, but we’re going to do everything we can to be the most efficient.“.

Except that there are other statistics that are not in France’s favor. For example, since Brazil in 1958 and 1962, no team has managed to win the double. Add to this that the tricolors have won just one of their last six games and a succession of problems following the dismissals of Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante and Presnel Kimpembe. to name a few, three potential owners, not to mention the uncertainty surrounding Raphael Varane, and you have an explosive cocktail.

A little more than that actually, knowing that Ballon d’Or Karim Benzema joined the tricolor pack on Saturday following a fresh injury in training. “In 2021, we were the most beautiful and the strongest, and we didn’t even have to enter the field to win matches.– remembers Deschamps, recalling the last Euro fiasco, which his French team approached as super favourites. And add:I have confidence in this group and I am sure they will do everything to fight“.

great turbidity

The squad is now reduced to 25-members pending possible reinforcements, with DD set to make changes before leaving for Qatar (Disasi and Kolo Muani will replace Kimpembe and Nkunku), with an experimental central hinge and an environment that won’t deliver. to be less. Systemically, the 1998 World Champions captain will return to four players in defence. For the rest, it’s the big blur. FFA’s goal, however, is clear: at least the last four. In this case, too, Deschamps will control his future. Otherwise, President Noel Le Gray will decide.

“I know that we will do everything. I trust these players will give it their all. It’s not looking more beautiful than you. I think that the French athlete, all things considered, is not the best when he is comfortable. We can’t say we’re really comfortablesmiles Deschamps. Not much, really. But it is no coincidence that the entire football world ranks the French national team among the favorites of the World Cup. There is quality in this group. A little less after Benzema’s package…”Before we see each other again, there is the first goal of getting out of the pools and entering the second competition“, he continues. Defender Lucas Hernandez said nothing else. “Facing a world champion, other nations will always want to give it their allsays the “Bavaria” player, trying to explain this curse of the world champion. We are aware of it. We know we have the quality to qualify for the 8th^are final and go as far as possible. We have a super team, the coach made a super choice, we all go in the same direction.»

Is that in the title? It will be necessary to overcome the rest of the world and… the curse. “I feel extremely sad for Karim, who has made this World Cup his main goal. Despite this new blow for the French national team, I fully trust my group. We will do our best to meet the enormous challenge that awaits us– says the national coach. Bird?