FIFA World Cup: France out to emulate class of 1998

For the upcoming WC in Russia, head coach Didier Deschamps left out big players like Alexandre Lacazette, Kingsley Coman, Adrien Rabiot and Anthony Martial at home, which shows how many options he has at his disposal. He also lost Dimitri Payet and Laurent Koscielny through injury but their replacements - Nabil Fekir and Adil Rami - are not too bad either.

Yet there seems to be an expectation that France will be beaten at some point in Russia, by Spain, Brazil or Germany. Despite all the talent it has, despite some clear progress between its 2014 World Cup quarter-final defeat and the Euro 2016 final, it will travel to Moscow on June 10 with more questions than answers.

According to BBC, there is a perception that Deschamps, as a player and manager, has always had luck on his side. However, since taking over the France team in summer 2012, his good fortune seems to have deserted him.

He made the wrong choices in a World Cup qualifier in Sweden in June 2017 where decided to start Blaise Matuidi, Moussa Sissoko and Payet instead of N'Golo Kante, Ousmane Dembele and Kylian Mbappe, who were all in better form and shape. Les Bleus lost the game and the manager lost a lot of credibility. 

Last September in Toulouse, France could not beat Luxembourg in another World Cup qualifier after Deschamps again got his selection wrong. His inability to respond when Les Bleus threw away a 2-0 lead at home against Colombia to lose 3-2 in a friendly in March was also concerning.

Through the history of French football, the successful France teams have always had one outstanding on-field leader and it is time for Paul Pogba to step up on the big occasion.

Raymond Kopa led it to third place at the 1958 World Cup. Then it had the Michel Platini generation, with two World Cup semi-finals in 1982 and 1986, and a win at Euro 1984. "For France to win this World Cup, they need Pogba at his best. He will have to guide this team, the likes of Mbappe and Dembele, to the next level,” said former Arsenal player Robert Pires.  

Leadership has been a problem for France since Zidane retired after the 2006 World Cup and  Deschamps is also still searching for his best formation. He has called up only nine players for the World Cup squad who were there in 2016 (Hugo Lloris, Steve Mandanda, Samuel Umtiti, Adil Rami, Pogba, Kante, Matuidi, Griezmann and Olivier Giroud). There is a sense of destiny, however, which will travel to Russia with this French squad. Most of the players called up by Deschamps grew up with the memory of 1998. The 1998 generation need successors while expectations are high.