​A few hours before France were set to depart for Dallas, backup defenders Maxence Lacroix and Ibrahima Konaté faced the media at the team’s World Cup base camp on the outskirts of Boston. The two centre-backs were pressed about Les Bleus’ game plan for containing Lamine Yamal during their semi-final clash on Tuesday, a topic that had been sparked by Spain’s win over Belgium earlier in the day. In that match, the Barcelona forward suggested that France ought to fear their opponents in the final four, a statement that the Frenchmen did not take as a sign of vulnerability.
Lacroix responded that fear was not part of their mindset. “I wouldn’t say that we’re scared,” he said. “We’re aware of our qualities. We know that Spain also has a great squad, and they’ve had a very good tournament. I think all of our opponents have had very good players. We’re focusing on our objective, which is winning.” He added, explaining how they would approach defending against a player of Yamal’s caliber, that the question was more about understanding him within the broader context of the Spanish team: “How do you defend against him? Well! He’s a very good player, he’s shown a few times in this World Cup that he can hurt you, but we have quality in defence. We haven’t conceded many goals and chances. I think we’ll do the job.”
Konaté, who started in the nine-goal thriller that featured France’s loss to Spain last year, emphasized that the central objective was to neutralize the Spanish side as a unit rather than focusing on any single player. “Honestly, that’s not what we’re thinking about,” he commented. “Spain are an exceptional team with a lot of quality, but the aim isn’t to focus on one player in particular. It’s not just Lamine, it’s the whole team.”
As for the immediate schedule, Les Bleus were set to fly to Texas on Sunday afternoon, following two training sessions over the weekend after a day off. Notably, starting centre-backs William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano were absent from Saturday’s session, as the French coaching staff sought to manage their workloads amid minor injury concerns. The group’s camp in Waltham, Massachusetts has been a focal point for preparations, with updates and insights trickling out in the lead-up to the crucial semi-final test.