Qatar 2022 World Cup: France and world champion training and a dog’s face

Welcome to the world champion training.

Don’t expect light practice. It will be an hour and a half with the dog face and the one with the most dog face of all kylian mbappe. In Argentina we would say that he doesn’t even like losing the ball. As well as.

But they are all so, turned on, energetic. Less Karim Benzema and Raphael Varane who train separately, trying to fully recover from injuries. Will they make their debut against Australia on Tuesday the 22nd?

France arrived in Doha on Wednesday and first contact with the press took place a day later at Al Sadd FC. press conference of Olivier Giroudwho at the age of 36 is preparing to play his third World Cup and who is two goals away from a draw Thierry Henry (51 points) as top scorer by The Blues. The attacker replies in French and English, always in a good tone, and says: “The record is a bonus if I can achieve it, but the main goal is to get as far as possible in the competition”. In principle, Giroud runs after Benzema.

after a while it comes Aurélien Tchouameni, the 22-year-old midfielder who starts in place of rejected N’Golo Kante. He also replies in several languages, adding Spanish as he is a new reinforcement for Real Madrid. They ask him about a possible crossing with Messi and Argentina. Answers: “I don’t think about it, we have to play three important games first”.

Once this formality has been completed, the world champion’s team takes to the field, cheered by a group of students seated in a grandstand and armed with French flags. The footballers applaud at the beginning and at the end, grateful.

They start at 18:39. It’s already been night for a long time in Doha. The temperature pauses and drops below 30 degrees. The workout starts with a ball and just a few minutes later you see stretching exercises. So they occupy the entire field in a job that aims to change fronts and arrive at definition with speed. Speed, lots of speed.

Then comes the most interesting part. The collaborators perform an arc to build a field of fifty meters. Two teams, without goalkeepers or goals. They play two touches. The idea is to hold the ball and make it circulate. The team that doesn’t have it is pressing hard to get it back. There we see the first signs of a warm Mbappé, very courageous. He doesn’t want to miss a rebound.

All under the active presence of Didier Deschamps, world champion as a player and coach, at the helm of the team for ten years. Gestures, shouts, not condescending at all. He also activates the participation of his main assistant he Stephen boy.

Then they all move to the other half of the field. They are divided into three teams of eight each (yellow, blue and orange bibs). They play in a triangle, already with goalkeepers and goals. And celebrations, while the dog face remains.

The common denominator is precision in speed and tight spaces. Something that attracts attention since France were world champions in 2018 with a ball possession percentage of less than 50% (39% in the final against Croatia) and betting on space. Are you looking for variations or a change of style? For now, all indications are that Deschamps would ditch the three defenders he used in qualifying and the UEFA Nations League and return to the traditional four-man line-up.

All until 20.10. Minimal breaks to drink water. An hour and a half open to the press, far from the 15 minutes required by FIFA. If the champion makes it, why not the other teams, including Argentina?

France is already in Doha and is training intensely. Don’t forget that after winning his World Cup in 1998 he failed to make it through to the round in 2002 (he didn’t score a single goal and lost all three group games, with Senegal, Uruguay and Denmark). Curses are fought by working, it seems to be an idea of ​​Deschamps.

Doha, Qatar. Special delivery