“I’ve been bored with this team for a while.” Johan Micoud, a consultant for the L’Équipe channel, a regular on L’Équipe du soir and a keen observer of the French team, cannot be satisfied with the results obtained by the Blues in this Euro 2024: “Every time, I get a ‘Yes, but it’s a win’. Okay, but I dare to imagine that we could win by playing a little better and more offensively, with the players that are on the pitch.”
After a final performance in the round of 16 against Belgium, both frustrating (19 shots including 2 on target) but sufficient to continue the adventure against Portugal on Friday evening, the Blues did not convince the observers: “I blame everyone a little. The coach gives the basics. Where Deschamps is very strong is that he transmits to his players this mentality of never giving up, of hanging on until the end, even if it’s not great, there will be an opportunity. When you play on the field, maybe you do less unconsciously. When you see them in their club, I find that there is more cohesion in what they do.”
Before continuing: “I tell myself that if it’s not the French team, I won’t watch. We talk about 1984, 1998, 2000, because there was some play. I don’t know if we’ll remember that generation in 20 or 30 years. We’ll talk about their record and we’ll add each time, but how bored we were with that team watching their matches.”
