Les Bleus in 2021
An “eventful” year
“It’s been an eventful year as we’d never had a calendar year with three different objectives before. The Euros were obviously central to all that, with World Cup qualifying starting beforehand in March and then continuing in September. And we had the (Nations League) final four in the middle of it all, in which there was a trophy to play for.”
Two out of three
“We achieved two of our three goals, although there was obviously the disappointment of our early elimination from the European Championship because of a 10-minute spell which was disastrous for different reasons. But that’s something we just have to accept and it shouldn’t cast a shadow over what we achieved before or after, and the way that we bounced back to win another trophy.”
“It was extra special to beat the number one team in the world rankings, Belgium, and then Spain, a great nation, in a match full of ups and downs. It was a great feeling to win a trophy again and also to have sealed qualification for the World Cup before the last match in Finland. Qualifying campaigns are always tough and full of potential dangers and it was important to us to finish the group well by winning that game.”
Unbeaten*
“All in all, we had 10 wins and six draws in 16 games in 2021, so, statistically, we were unbeaten even if it’s true that one of those draws ultimately ended in defeat. We had a lot of good runs. There have obviously been difficulties, especially being knocked out of the Euros, but since then we’ve shown what we’re capable of in terms of our mental fortitude and the ability of our individual players, which have been strengths of ours for a long time but unfortunately deserted us for 10 minutes against Switzerland. That’s what led to us being eliminated.”
“But that shouldn’t call everything into question, as often happens in sport and in football. Everything gets blown out of all proportion. You need to be able to take a step back in order to form a balanced opinion. I can only praise the players and the squad as a whole, including those who have been added to the group since September, something which continuously happens. It’s always necessary to freshen things up before facing what’s ahead of us, culminating in the World Cup.”
Les Bleus in 2022
World Cup 2022
“With the playoffs taking place in March, there’s going to be at least one big nation that won’t be at the World Cup. We can be more relaxed in that regard but we’ll go to Qatar as reigning world champions and with the objective of defending our title. It’ll obviously be really tough to achieve that. We’ll know a bit more about it after the draw on the 1st of April.”
10 years at the helm
“I’ve undoubtedly gained a lot of experience. I don’t think I’ve changed. I’ve evolved in certain areas, like everyone does. If it weren’t for my desire and determination, I wouldn’t be here and that’s what I told the President (of the FFF) after the Euros. I said I was happy in my role as national team manager, even if the final decision was up to him.”
“Of course, the current squad is much better (than previous ones) in all areas and that brings increased demands in terms of results. And when you’ve been right at the top, as was the case in Russia in 2018, expectations are even greater and disappointments hit even harder. But my coaching team and I accept that, we all take the same amount of pleasure from it and are all thorough enough to do everything we can to reach the highest level possible.”
“I never look back. Of course, I know what has happened in the past but the important things for me are the present and the future. One day, I’m sure I’ll be able to look back. But that’s not for me. I’m not here to entertain the crowd, that’s up to the players, who are competitors like me. I need that adrenaline, it’s vital for me. There’s nothing better than being out on the training pitch and coaching at the highest level. You can play for the biggest clubs, in national leagues or the Champions League but nothing surpasses the World Cup and the European Championships.”