Klopp praises Deschamps and his 'boring' France

Jurgen Klopp conceded that France did not always quicken the pulse at Russia 2018, but hailed Didier Deschamps for guiding it to glory.

Published : Aug 14, 2018 15:30 IST

Didier Deschamps deserves praise for masterminding France's route to World Cup glory, according to Jurgen Klopp – even if his approach sometimes resulted in “boring” football.

Les Bleus won its second world title with a 4-2 win over Croatia in Moscow last month, with Antoine Griezmann, Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe all on target.

A 4-3 triumph against Argentina in the last 16 was viewed by many as the game of the tournament, but elsewhere Deschamps implemented a more prosaic style despite the attacking riches at his disposal.

READ: Laporte jealous of France World Cup winners

Klopp, though, insists that the coach deserves credit for sticking to an ultimately successful plan. "France had the right players and the right tactics," the Liverpool boss said in an interview with France Football.

"Didier Deschamps could have done something else with this team. Let them play, run, excite the whole planet to show how beautiful French football was."

"But, he showed great maturity. He calmed and disciplined everyone, even making the games sometimes a bit boring. The job of a coach is to use the qualities of his team in the best way."

France is back in action when it travels to Munich to face Germany in its opening UEFA Nations League match on September 6.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment