Deschamps Dismisses Notion of Difficulties Managing France's Star-Studded Attack
France national team manager Didier Deschamps has stated that managing a star-studded forward line featuring Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, and the recently eligible Michael Olise is not the challenge many perceive it to be. The comments were made during a public appearance at the 'Tournoi sans frontière' in Sens, France, and reported by L'Équipe.
Deschamps, speaking alongside his assistant Guy Stéphan, addressed the perceived difficulty of managing a forward line of such high-profile, creative talents. He suggested that managing world-class players is, in some ways, less complicated than handling players at a lower level. "I have an advantage: they are good," Deschamps said, according to a video of the event. "The problem is managing players who think they are good but are not that good."
He specifically addressed the notion that players like Kylian Mbappé, the team's captain and talisman, might be difficult to manage within a team structure. Deschamps insisted that the core of his squad, including Mbappé, is fundamentally team-oriented. "I can assure you that all of them, and Kylian Mbappé first, even if we think that he is self-centered or anything else, they think they are part of a collective," Deschamps explained. He emphasized that even the most gifted players rely on the team structure to succeed.
Deschamps contrasted the mentality of his elite players with those at a lower level, suggesting that his current squad possesses a high degree of self-awareness and professionalism. "They don't tell themselves stories, they know they are good, they are among the best," he argued. The 1998 World Cup winner implied that managing players with an inflated sense of their own ability, rather than those with proven, world-class talent, is the greater managerial challenge.
The context for Deschamps' comments comes as he integrates new attacking options. The recent international clearance for Crystal Palace's Michael Olise, who is also eligible for England and Algeria, has added another layer of competition and quality to an already formidable French attack. Deschamps' comments serve to downplay any potential for friction or selection headaches, framing the management of such talent as a straightforward, even simple, task due to the players' professionalism and collective mindset. The French national team, with its deep reservoir of attacking talent, appears to be a harmonious environment according to its manager, who is focused on aligning these individual stars towards a common goal.
