Didier Deschamps on France exit and impact of ‘stifling’ atmosphere after disappointing World Cup

One of just three men to have won the FIFA World Cup as both a player and a head coach, Didier Deschamps’ time in charge of France recently came to an underwhelming end after 14 years.

The 57-year-old, who won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 UEFA Euros as a player, went on to guide his country to the 2018 World Cup title, the 2022 final, the 2016 Euros final, and the 2021 Nations League title.

This year, having taken a star-studded squad - headlined by Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise, and Ousmane Dembélé - to North America with many suggesting they were the team to beat in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico co-hosted World Cup, Deschamps’ side cruised all the way to the semifinals, at which point their title chase came to an abrupt and somewhat unexpected end via a 2-0 loss at the hands of reigning European champions Spain.

• Donald Trump sparks outrage with Harry Kane World Cup comments
• Kylian Mbappe drops World Cup truth bomb after absurd third-place loss to England

A third-place playoff game for the ages followed against an England side beaten in their semifinal by reigning World Cup champions Argentina.

Down in Miami, Thomas Tuchel’s side dominated the first half, entering the break with a 4-0 lead, only for a flurry of halftime changes and a fresh mindset to rally the French back into the game, scoring three unanswered goals before Bukayo Saka completed his hat trick to extend the Three Lions’ lead once more. The game wound up finishing 6-4.

While it was likely not the manner in which Deschamps envisaged his tenure coming to a close, regardless, his time in the hot seat has now come to a close.

“I decided that it had to stop. And if I made that decision, it wasn’t for my own sake – I’m telling you this in all honesty – it was for the good of the French team,” Deschamps explained to M6, via Reuters. “Because the atmosphere around me had become so stifling. The French national ‌team ⁠doesn’t deserve that.”

He went on to add that, “Ever since the announcement, things have been much better for the French team.”

To listen to the latest episode of 'All Out Soccer' - CLICK HERE

Better, perhaps. But good enough to claim a third World Cup, unfortunately not for Deschamps.

“It is a defeat, but we were 4-0 down. We produced an unacceptable first half,” he said on Saturday. “There was a reaction, with the things we know how to do well. We had two chances to make it 4-4, but we pushed forward a little more. That is what we know how to do, but we didn't do it. ⁠It is my fault because I must not have done what was needed in the first half.”

While Deschamps felt they could at least hold their heads a little higher following their near comeback, there remained a sense of disappointment overall.

“It would have been better to finish third. We came here with a lot of ambition. We managed to do quite a few positive things,” he said. “We failed in our match against Spain, and they knew how to perform against us. This is a group with footballing quality. There was enough talent to get results.

“On a human level, it was a beautiful adventure. Eight weeks, it was beautiful.”