​France defeated Morocco 2-0 in Foxborough on July 9, reaching a third consecutive World Cup semifinal, matching the same 2-0 scoreline that sent the Atlas Lions packing in the 2022 Qatar semifinal. In the same breath, Didier Deschamps has announced that this will be his last tournament in charge after 14 years at the helm. Yet that win underlines what CBS Golazo analyst Ian Paul Joy describes as a defining trait of this French generation: big personalities and big characters that can be difficult to manage. Joy noted that France have long grappled with this issue, and that the federation has made its stance clear to anyone who passes through Clairefontaine: if you are part of this training facility, you are part of the group; the group is the star, not individual stars.
Clairefontaine, the federation’s national training center about 40 miles southwest of Paris, has operated on that philosophy since it opened in 1988. In practice today, the approach hinges on how Deschamps runs the room. He engages unhappy players in one-on-one conversations rather than letting tensions or egos fester, and there is little daylight between how starters and squad players are treated day to day. Former France defender Raphaël Varane has said Deschamps speaks constantly—to the group and privately—to convey the message that “we needed each other.” Deschamps himself has described his staff’s real job at a tournament as ensuring no player feels sidelined enough to check out mentally, even if that player rarely leaves the bench.
“As we reflect on Karim Benzema,” Joy added, “he would have been part of a World Cup-winning side had he not clearly run afoul of the coach.” Benzema was not a marginal loss for France: he later won the Ballon d’Or in 2022 and claimed five Champions League titles with Real Madrid, and by the 2018 World Cup he remained among the planet’s elite strikers. Yet he did not participate in Russia when France captured the trophy. The rift traces back to a 2015 legal dispute involving former teammate Mathieu Valbuena, after which Deschamps left Benzema out of the squad, and the rift never fully healed.
Joy also emphasized the value of a coach who earns his players’ trust. “Respect is everything in our game,” he said. “If he has the respect of the group, from the first to the 26th player, you’ve got every chance of success because team chemistry is stronger than any individual.” That principle has defined Deschamps’ entire tenure, the longest and most decorated in French football history. Since taking charge in July 2012, he has won the 2018 World Cup and the 2021 UEFA Nations League, and reached two more finals—Euro 2016 and the 2022 World Cup, losing to Argentina on penalties in the latter. He stands as one of the most consequential figures in French football, a record that will guide the conversation as he steps away after a storied 14-year tenure.