Soccer
Didier Deschamps is convinced France’s World Cup quarter-final against Morocco will not be his last in charge but urged his side to be even more clinical.
Deschamps is stepping down as head coach at the end of the tournament but is hoping to lead France to their third World Cup, and his second as their manager after 2018.
The quarter-final will be Deschamps’ 25th game as a manager at the World Cup, equalling the record total of Helmut Schon (25 between 1966 and 1978).
His 19 victories in the competition – all in charge of France – are already the most by any manager.
They are currently the favourites to lift the trophy, with the Opta supercomputer giving them a 27% chance of doing so.
France have impressed at the tournament so far and are the joint-top scorers on 14 goals, along with Argentina. They have had the fourth-most shots (88), but no team has registered more efforts on target than their 39.
Kylian Mbappe is also joint-second in the Golden Boot race, netting seven of their goals so far, but Deschamps is still targeting a more clinical approach.
“We have to be efficient, offensively speaking,” Deschamps told a press conference.
“In all the areas, both teams have strong assets.
“We are efficient, but we could have done better on this front. Sometimes you have six chances and score two goals, and sometimes you have two chances and score twice. It is more important to be efficient.”
When asked if he was worried that the last-eight tie would be his last in the dugout, Deschamps added: “I absolutely don’t think so, because the previous match could also have been the last.
“In my mind, and with my coaching staff, our goal is to do everything necessary so that things go as well as possible.
“After that, in football, there are obviously different possibilities, but in my mind, I am only concerned with facing the Moroccan national team, and I am completely focused on this match so that things go the way we want.”
Deschamps also revealed FIFA had dismissed an appeal from the French Football Federation (FFF) to rescind Michael Olise’s yellow card against Paraguay.
Olise was booked in the last-16 match for an altercation with Matias Galarza, who fell to the floor holding his face, despite replays showing the Frenchman only held his shirt.
Following FIFA’s decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s one-match ban for a year, the FFF believed they had grounds for an appeal, but they have not been successful, meaning Olise risks a semi-final suspension if he is booked against Morocco and France go through.
“There was no change with Olise’s yellow card,” Deschamps added.
“We received from FIFA a decision on [Wednesday] that Olise’s yellow card remains.”
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