Press round-up: Deschamps out of his depth, third-place play-off v England | OneFootball

This Thursday, July 16, the French press (from a sporting perspective) had nothing particularly direct to focus on regarding Paris Saint-Germain. There is still France’s elimination against Spain in the semi-final of the 2026 World Cup, which remains hard to swallow. It is now time for criticism of head coach Didier Deschamps and forward Ousmane Dembélé (29, PSG), but also for certain questions to be asked. Not to mention the third-place match on Saturday against England at 11 p.m., with little motivation and the possibility of major rotation.

Le Parisien –

L’Equipe –

As is often the case in the media, everything was going well a few days ago and Deschamps mainly had qualities, just as France’s attack was said to be the best of the World Cup (or even in history), then after the elimination there is suddenly a lot of negativity to highlight. Some of it was true, as were some exaggerations. No doubt supporters and the media got a little too carried away by these Bleus, who have real strengths but also certain shortcomings for the very highest level.

We were able to see the difference against one of the best teams in the world, one that did not waver in the World Cup despite the criticism. France were outclassed and Deschamps could certainly have done better. But he stayed true to his idea, which had been widely praised during the rest of the World Cup. It is a bit easy to only bring up doubts now. The same goes for Dembélé or other players, and even the handling of Saliba.

In any case, it is almost time for change. The main thing now is to look ahead, without forgetting the lessons of recent years. England still stand in the way for third place and a possible positive final note, even if we know these matches do not leave much of an impression. People even sometimes question their usefulness. Perhaps France will choose to rotate, an almost awkward moment for some players who will get minutes in a match that annoys the others.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.