Football news - Switzerland defeat 'One of the worst fiascos in the history of France' - Inside Europe
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Updated 29/06/2021 at 08:59 GMT
In the aftermath of the last-16 match between France and Switzerland that saw Didier Deschamps' team dumped out on penalties as Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe missed the decisive spot-kick after a 3-3 draw. We talked to our friend and colleague Maxime Dupuis from Eurosport France to tell us more.
'No one is angry with Mbappe' - Deschamps plays down player reaction after Swiss loss
The exit of France on penalties to Switzerland in the last-16 on Monday night is perhaps the biggest debacle in French football since the 2010 World Cup farrago.
France had begun the tournament as the clear favourites and their first match was a win over Germany to suggest they were in control of their destiny. However since then they failed to impress.
In the immediate aftermath of the disappoitnment, we asked our colleague from Eurosport France, Maxime Dupuis, to update us on the mood in France and in the French camp.
What is your opinion on the French team and what are the reasons for the defeat?
Last night, France did not control anything on the field. From the first to the last minute. It's something that is not like this team or Didier Deschamps. But basically, Les Bleus didn't control anything after Germany. France started with a final. And ended with a football mess. The evening was immense in terms of emotions. But it was a monumental fiasco, one of the worst in the history of Les Bleus.
The three-defender system lost them. At the back, of course. But also in the middle, where Pogba and Kanté were also lost. And there was a lot of space at their backs.
Whose fault was this? There has been a lot of chat that the switch to a back three was unnecessary - would you agree?
Deschamps, above all. In four matches, he changed his system three times. And against Switzerland, he also changed his system three times. Between the 35th and 46th minute, Les Bleus changed three times. From the three-man defence, to the diamond system, to the 4-4-2.
In defence of Deschamps - because he is not the only culprit - we must say that so few of the players hit their usual form that you can count them on the fingers of one hand. It would have been a miracle. It didn't happen. It was a nightmare. Also, eight players had injuries or physical problems since the start of the preparation.
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Will Deschamps survive this? Does he want to stay on?
Normally, he would stay. He didn't seem to want to leave on Monday night. That was not the sense of his speech in the press conference. He is still under contract with the FFF [French Football Federation] and the president will not break that contract. Even if Zinedine Zidane is waiting for his time. Is it a good thing ? Not good to stay after a fail. Maybe it will be different with him...
What about the intensity of the players? The UK coverage which included Patrick Vieira - criticised the attitude on the field.
I thought it was a mess from France from the first minute. They thought they could turn up, be complacent, the system was all wrong, the players didn’t have a clue what they were doing in the first half, and yet they have so many fantastic players they get through it and get 3-1 up. They were a mess.
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