Cyrille de la Morinerie, edited by Colin Abgrall 6:22 p.m., November 12, 2021

Before the next match of the France team against Kazakhstan, Saturday evening, Guy Stéphan, assistant coach of Didier Deschamps, spoke to Europe 1. The former 65-year-old coach looks back on the latest results of the Blues and his relationship with the coach, with whom he never thought "a single second to stop".

INTERVIEW

He is the right arm of Didier Deschamps.

Guy Stéphan, the assistant coach of the Blues, confided before the next match of the French football team against Kazakhstan, Saturday evening in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Appointed assistant in 2012, the 65-year-old former coach is a loyal coach.

On Europe 1, Guy Stéphan evokes the success in the League of Nations, the failure of Euro 2020, his agreement with Deschamps and his vision of the France team.

Did you expect victory in the Nations League after a particularly difficult summer? 

It was first important to have a good debrief of the Euro. It ended against Switzerland after finishing first in a group with Germany and Portugal. The goal was not reached, so we analyzed what went wrong. This League of Nations did us a lot of good because we beat some of the best teams in the world, Belgium and Spain, who were extremely motivated. Beautiful football produced, intensity, generosity and a big mind to reverse the situation against Belgium (2-0 for the Belgians at half-time) and against the Spaniards. There is a lot of satisfaction. It also gives me a fourth title with the France team out of the eight it has won throughout its history.

We have often asked, after the Euro, if Didier Deschamps wanted to continue.

He said yes, that he wanted to.

But you, have you asked yourself the question? 

Not for a second.

We were aware that it had not worked.

We analyzed directly what was good and what was not so good.

We made sure to be operational as of September.

But neither Didier nor I thought for a single second of stopping.

We have faith in this group and in what we do.

You have enough experience to know that you cannot win everything.

But sometimes you have to question yourself and bring freshness to a group. 

After this life in the French team, will you follow Didier Deschamps, take a club on your own like your son Julien or go fishing, at home in Brittany? 

That's not one of my concerns at the moment.

Today, I am focused on qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. It is not a given.

We are approaching this match with humility and ambition.

It will take a victory.

This was not even the case in 1993, when we had two games left against Israel and Bulgaria and only one point was needed.

We don't want to go through it again.

As for my suite, we'll see. 

It will be a subtle mix between "Watch out guys" and "Play your football, you are favorites".

Also, a lot of players did not know France-Bulgaria in 1993 ...

Yes, most of the players were not born.

Even Hugo (Lloris), who is one of the oldest, was only six years old and does not remember it.

But it's part of the history of the France team.

And other nations today do not have their qualifications acquired.

This passage is always difficult.

We think it can be easy, but no. 

Karim Benzema has adapted perfectly after five years without selection.

With Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappé, do they form the best attack in the history of the Blues?

One of the best, that's for sure.

Afterwards, compared to 1999-2000, Henry-Zidane-Trezeguet, it's hard to compare.

But our team with these three is very interesting, because there are great complicity between them.

There is a game turned towards the offensive, one-two, one-two-three, one-touch play, the ability to eliminate ... This attack has many advantages and it fits into a collective , which wins matches.

This collective is marked by the Varane-Kimpembe pair in defense.

They are absent, so how do you manage to play without these two jailers? 

The defense has evolved a bit, because we are playing with three central defenders.

It will be necessary to do without, and those who will be aligned will have to be up to the task.

It's a group that has been renewed a lot lately with players like (Dayot) Upamecano, (Jules) Koundé, (Mattéo) Guendouzi, (Moussa) Diaby and others.

It brings freshness.

It doesn't mean that other players won't come back, but it's a group that is evolving a lot.

There will only be seven World Champions in the group, because Paul (Pogba) left us with a thigh problem.

This means that we look at what is happening in the different championships. 

Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is in top form.

Are you worried about the aftermath of Lloris? 

He is having an extraordinary career.

He made extraordinary matches against Belgium and Spain.

He's younger than ever.

But the hour of retirement will come one day.

There are more to come, I am thinking in particular of Mike Maignan who is injured at the moment.

Hugo marks his position so much that the succession will be difficult.

He's not a loud captain.

He only raises his voice at times.

He weighs his words every time he intervenes.

He is listened to extremely.