France’s coach could have resigned after a triumph, but he preferred to continue his work. Not without risks, but in a position of strength.

Everything has been said about Didier Deschamps, everything will be repeated, this time in the mode of praise. A victory in the World Cup is worth beatification for the coach - we know it since Aimé Jacquet won the trophy. His then captain, the first Frenchman to lift this trophy, now has doubled the number of France’s world champion titles, as well as his personal ones. If Croatia had done better in the first half, the second lost final would have rocked the French coach on the dark side of the lose, but so is football: sometimes irrational scores forge destinies.

At this level of consecration, the wise man knows what he has to do: to withdraw in full glory, to rest from the efforts made, to live on his income of image. Michel Hidalgo in 1984 and Aimé Jacquet in 1998 did not procrastinate at the age of 51 and 56 respectively, taking the helm of the National Technical Direction. At almost 50, Deschamps is not much younger, and he is too smart not to know the risks. However, he confirmed that he would continue his work until at least 2020.

To win more

No doubt, he knows that immunity is only temporary, that criticism of his playing philosophy is simply suspended, and that the risk of tarnishing his record is greater than the chances of enriching him. No world title protects from difficulties to qualify for the following tournament: Didier Deschamps remembers a ticket for Euro 2000 that was booked thanks to a penalty in the last minutes of Andorra-France. "It's in the most beautiful victories that we make the biggest bullshit," he told the Parisian. And the "curse of the titleholder" illustrates the difficulties of the favorites in the final stage, as well as the speed of disgrace.

What inclines Deschamps to run the risk of his fourth two-year cycle? Perhaps the example of Spain and Germany, who have achieved significant results during long-term coaching spells. More likely, the desire to write history again. For example, by catching the line lost two years ago against Portugal, that is to say, by winning the Euro as a coach after winning it as a player. He also knows that he has a prodigious generation, which already has the experience of victory and will be propelled by his confidence.

He could look for another player-coach double in the club, in the Champions League, which he narrowly missed in 2004 with AS Monaco. But he knows the conditions of working in a club, where it is rare to have frank relationships, and where precariousness reigns. In the national team, Deschamps is not close to being threatened, he only shares his responsibilities with Noel Le Graët - and this sharing is a division of tasks. If the national coach is a man of power, he is a born national coach, who perfectly fits into requirements of the function.

Position of strength

Criticism of him has mainly been due to a misunderstanding of the specificities of the national team football, with reduced tactical working time, the leveling of values, the pitfalls in qualifying and in the final stages... These are all reasons why the priority given to the formation of team spirit makes the difference. To make big players sacrifice themselves for the collective - this is what many great national teams no longer achieve, and the Basque should be credited for that.

In the light of the post-1998 era, one might worry that his style is too much schooling in the National Technical Direction and the French team, with the adoption of dogmas that will not be questioned after some time... But Deschamps is not a dogmatic: he has drifted into the current trend that has given a bonus to teams who leave the ball to the opponent - an opportunistic response that is unlikely to turn into a philosophy. As for his defensive approach, he had denied it until the first match in Russia, showing some inclination to play the offensive cards of his squad. Nothing says he will not come back to it.

Didier Deschamps will not leave the national team, as he is not the type to give up a position of strength. This choice is the opposite of Zinedine Zidane’s (whom we imagined taking over at the head of Les Blues), who left Real Madrid at the peak of his glory. Deschamps has always believed in himself, even more than those who predicted him great future as a coach. Hopefully the team of France will continue to find its value. In any case, yesterday and today, it might have had a worse coach. 

Source: Le Monde