Deschamps half-time team talk that inspired Frances World Cup final resurgence

With his French team 2-0 down at half-time in the World Cup final, Didier Deschamps was facing arguably the toughest test of his managerial career so far. The team talk that followed in the dressing room, though, as reported by L’Équipe, was equal to the occasion and inspired some of the senior players in the squad to raise their voices as well.

Deschamps would not hide his anger, telling his players, in substance, that they needed to be more precise, more compact and make better choices, after a first half which saw them completely dominated by the Albiceleste: “You’re not with it guys! You’re not getting to any second ball. You’re not playing a World Cup final!”

The manager’s words were then echoed by Hugo Lloris, with the captain also raising his voice afterwards. His deputy between the sticks, the veteran Steve Mandanda, would go on to lament the team’s lack of desire despite the importance of the occasion, while the vice-captain Raphaël Varane, having already spoken before the match, told his teammates to keep believing. The result would be a comeback, even if it would ultimately be too little too late.