5 Reasons why France won the World Cup

#5 Mature Veteran Leadership from Didier Deschamps and Hugo Lloris

Didier Deschamps and Hugo Lloris

Let’s be honest, before the tournament, many were skeptical of Deschamps’ ability. He was ridiculed by many for his conservative team selection and tactics. In the first game against Australia, Deschamps listened to his doubters and played an unbelievably attacking lineup, featuring Ousmane Dembele and Corentin Tolisso. It didn’t work as France needed an inadvertent deflection to give them the win against the Socceroos.

From that point onwards, Deschamps stuck to his instincts. He chose to play natural defensive midfielder Blaise Matuidi as a left-winger, a controversial move that worked as Matuidi provided energy and defensive steel to the team. He also selected Oliver Giroud, a World Cup-winning striker who had no shots on target throughout the tournament. Yet, Giroud’s knockdowns and movement helped complement Mbappe and Griezmann. Deschamps would have been criticized relentlessly for those selections if France would have failed- he deserves credit now they that they have own.

However, France’s “coach” on the pitch was just as important. Goalkeeper and Captain Hugo Lloris helped marshal the aforementioned defence. As one of France’s only three players over 30 and the only squad player with more than 74 caps, Lloris’s leadership has been key to this French side.

His tangible impact was also significant- the Tottenham goalkeeper didn’t have much to do in the knockout stages but was outstanding when required. Saves from Diego Godin in the quarter-final and Toby Alderweireld in the semi-final were particularly memorable. While his brain-fade in the final gave Croatia some hope, Lloris was the one lifting up the Jules Rimet Trophy at the end of the day.