France’s Guy Stéphan praises “clinical” Ousmane Dembélé after hat-trick performance against Norway | OneFootball

Standing in for the grieving Didier Deschamps, France’s long-time assistant coach Guy Stéphan guided Les Bleus to a 4-1 victory over Norway’s second-choice players to seal top spot in Group I.

Facing the media after the match, Stéphan confirmed that Deschamps would be back with Les Bleus in the USA on Saturday to take charge of training. “I will call him later,” the former midfielder’s right-hand man added.

The 69-year-old also praised Ousmane Dembélé’s “clinical” performance, adding that the Paris Saint-Germain man was not affected by criticism earlier in the tournament. He also dismissed the suggestion that the day’s hat-trick hero is under-appreciated as a France player, compared to Kylian Mbappé.

“Top-quality players can play together. For me, it’s not a question of there being a star player or not. When two, three, or four players ‘feel’ football in the same way, which is the case in this team, it can only be beneficial for the French national team.”

The assistant coach was also asked about comparisons with the French squad that reached the final three and a half years ago. For Stéphan, this year’s cohort has not necessarily proven itself yet:

“I think it’s a bit too early to say. More than half of the squad had never played in a World Cup before; we have a lot of young players. We’ll have to see as the competition goes on, and whether we raise our level against the very strong teams, which will happen very soon.

“RIght now I don’t think that we’re stronger,” Stéphan continued. “To be stronger, you need to have both the attacking and defensive aspects. It’s important to have that balance.”

GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin – reporting from Boston Stadium