The time has come for Didier Deschamps to be accountable.

The coach of the Blues returned, in an interview with

L'Equipe

, on the failure of the France team, eliminated from Euro 2021 in the round of 16 by Switzerland after an improbable end of regulation time (the Nati was led 3-1 in the 80th before picking up).

“That was not supposed to happen to us,” DD began by saying.

The causes of the failure identified by Deschamps, who nevertheless warns in the preamble not to want to seek excuses, are numerous.

At the end of the match against Switzerland, it was relaxed.

“Paul Pogba's goal seemed to seal the fate of the game, but there were still 15 minutes left.

The fact of being inhabited by this feeling that it is done, that we are in quarterfinals, leads to a little relaxation and to this second Swiss goal which in turn, causes a little excitement on bodies that have been very busy.

"

Group of death and lack of fairness

We therefore come to the second cause: the famous group of death and a certain lack of fairness between the host selections and the other teams. “This Euro was special,” he says. The first three of our group (France, Germany, Portugal) all stopped in the round of 16. The four teams that have reached the semi-finals (Italy, England, Denmark, Spain) are four nations that have passed the group stage in their usual base camp, with their three home games. You will tell me that this was the case for Germany, too. Yes, but in a group with three full games, during which the bodies were very stressed, including against Hungary, which forced its three opponents to tap into its energies. As a result, the management of the third match was not possible for anyone… ”

DD was he too playful?

Finally, and it makes us strange to write this, Didier Deschamps regrets having "certainly deviated from his first idea", that of a French team that is effective offensively but above all solid.

Were these Blues too carried forward?

“I tried to improve the offensive animation, even if it meant having a little defensive deficit, but I would have liked this deficit to be less important.

“From there to say that the Blues will put a layer back defensively, there is a step that we will wait to take.

France will return to the game with three matches counting towards the 2022 World Cup qualifiers between September 1 and 8 (Bosnia, Ukraine and Finland).

Sport

Euro 2021: "Deschamps has been leading his team for too long", Van Gaal harsh with the Blues

  • Euro 2021

  • Sport

  • French football team

  • Didier Deschamps