Can France put an end to the World Cup curse?
It began with France who won the World Cup in 1998 and was knocked out in the group stage in 2002. Then, in 2006, Italy famously won following the Zinedine Zidane headbutt, but in 2010 they looked like amateurs in South Africa and departed at the opening stage.
Spain dominated in 2010 at the world cup as well as rounding up back-to-back Euros wins, yet still were knocked out in the groups of 2014. The most recent victims were the German team in 2018 after winning football's greatest prize in 2014.
As we look ahead to the 2022 World Cup held in Qatar, France is once again in the spotlight and there are hopes that they can put an end to the trend that they started 20 years ago. In fact, Bodog, where you can enjoy the best World Cup odds for the showpiece event this winter, has them as one of the favourites as 6/1, even with the recent off-the-field difficulties.
Didier Deschamps was forced into many changes when naming his Nations League squad for the game taking place prior to the World Cup.
September 20, 2022
His first-choice keeper Hugo Lloris has been injured which is a huge blow considering he was Deschamps' undisputed number one in their triumph of 2018. A host of fullback options have withdrawn due to injury issues also: Lucas Digne has recently dropped out of the squad forcing Deschamps to name a squad of less experience than he would have liked.
Lucas Hernandez who is a regular starter be it at fullback or centre half also has injury woes alongside another left-sided defender in Prisnel Kimpembe. The defensive midfield pivot of Pogba and N'Golo Kante that was instrumental in Russia are both currently sidelined meaning Deschamps has to restructure his midfield.
However, this could be positive for France and could present opportunities to younger players who are playing at a higher level than the injured duo. After all, the previous World Cup was a long four years ago and both Pogba and Kante have struggled at the club level in recent times.
If fresh players are given a chance and impress, forcing their way into Dechamps' World Cup plans, this could be a blessing in disguise, especially given how stubbornly loyal the French coach has been to his long-term players.
September 15, 2022
The France national setup offers one of the strongest pools of talent in the world and there will never be a shortage of exceptional options on offer regardless of how many unfortunate injuries Deschamps has to deal with. All of the nations to suffer the 'World Cup winners curse' had one thing in common and that was that they did not evolve and remained loyal to their former heroes, even if their ability had declined.
France will have to adapt if they are to be successful at the tournament, and it looks like fate is intervening to ensure they do just that.