He won the World Cup in 1998 alongside current Les Bleus manager Didier Deschamps, and Marcel Desailly thinks that this current crop of French stars are set to lift the trophy again.
If there has been one team at the tournament that has produced every time, it’s France. Kylian Mbappe‘s team have swotted away all comers, winning four out of four games and scoring 13 in the process.
Deadly in attack and rock solid at the back, it’s hard to find a weakness in this French team.
Unstoppable France
During an exclusive interview with sportscasting.com, Desailly said of France’s performances in North America: “Who is going to stop France? The impression that England have given the fans watching is underwhelming. Germany, they’ve been poor and have been eliminated. A massive under-performance. Brazil is growing. But today it is France who is showing great ability. France have been the ‘wow’ team at the tournament so far – they’ve looked much better than the rest.”
As France prepare to face Paraguay this evening, Desailly is confident that they will pummel their South American opposition and predicted plenty of French goals.
“Now, they will play Paraguay, and there is no fear at all. It will end up 3-0 or 4-0. The stats will completely explode and confidence will be at its peak. If there are no injuries, France is going to win the World Cup. I have no doubt about it.”
Challenges Balon d’Or winner to raise his level
Desailly was also full of praise for Ousmane Dembélé, who recently said he thinks he can go to another level in terms of his own performances at the tournament.
Speaking about the PSG superstar, Desailly said: “I think Ousmane Dembélé can get even better. He hasn’t been perfect at this tournament, you saw that in the match against Senegal, where I thought he played with some difficulty, but it wasn’t just Ousmane Dembélé who struggled. Once we readjusted for the second half, we were much better and so was Dembélé.”
Desailly also praised Ousmane Dembélé for his selfless nature, essentially playing second fiddle to France captain Kylian Mbappe for the good of the team.
“I would like to see Dembélé lift his level a little bit, I would like to see him taking on his opponent much more. His understanding with his teammates is absolutely incredible. He can do more. He can definitely do more now that he has the sweetness in his mouth of playing for France as a winger rather than as a false nine like he does for PSG. Because of his form and his status, it wouldn’t have been easy for him to accept the idea that he should play as a winger again and, in many ways, letting his captain Kylian Mbappé take all the rewards.
“He’s in place in his new role, he can for sure do more. Barcelona took him because he was an amazing winger. They paid 150 million Euros for him. He’s an amazing winger. Both feet. As a defender, you don’t know how to mark him; it’s almost impossible.
“Dembélé can become even more clinical if he has the desire and the mental focus to do so,” Desailly concluded.
Paraguay vs France kicks off at 22:00 BST.