“Deschamps’ absolute dream is…”

France is in the quarter-finals of the German Euro, where it faces Portugal this Friday evening. But, it has reached this stage without really seducing. Its minimalist game is particularly criticized and it is logically Didier Deschamps who is the one who receives most of the criticism.

The French coach does not have only detractors, however. He has found a defender in the person of Bixente Lizarazu. The one who comments on the matches on TF1 believes that there is nothing shameful about progressing in the competition by relying above all on a solid rearguard.

Lizarazu not bothered by ‘ugly game’

“Style, beautiful play, that’s not his priority, highlighted the 1998 world champion in his column for L’Equipe. What interests him is winning, causing the most problems for the opponent. His absolute dream is not to score five goals but to not make any mistakes in the match.”

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Deschamps defended by his former teammate Lizarazu.

Liza went on to say that Deschamps deserves credit for constantly outwitting his opponents: “His defensive base must be stable, his team must not concede any counterattacks, never defend when outnumbered. For me, this is the clearly defined part of his identity. Some have the right to accuse Didier of being boring and playing “ugly”, but then we must recognise that his teams are very difficult to beat, tiring for the opponent.”

“Deschamps will never change”

Finally, Lizarazu said he would not be surprised if France went all the way in this tournament by keeping the same method of play. : “He (Deschamps) will never change, he won a World Cup with his ideas, so he will die with them. He is as a coach as he was as a player. I do not deplore it, since he is authentic, faithful to what built him and to what he loves.”