France head coach Didier Deschamps has revealed that the defending champions, France have a plan in place for dealing with Lionel Messi and his Argentine squad when they meet in the World Cup final late today, December 18.
Before the South America champions lock horns with the world champions at Lusail stadium at 3PM GMT, Didier Deschamps said he will not focus on the thought of some unpatriotic France fans who back Lionel Messi to win.
Deschamps, knowing that most of the watching world wants Lionel Messi to win, revealed his French squad would do everything within their reach to claim the World Cup a second successive time.
Lionel Messi has made an indelible landmark in the history of football with only a few players being able to contain the achievements of the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Throughout the ongoing tournament, the 35-year-old has been delivering collections of iconic performances for Argentina in Qatar.
Lionel Messi has scored five crucial goals for the Albiceleste during their race to the World Cup final event at the Lusail Stadium today and winning the World Cup trophy seems more feasible, evidently from Argentina’s relentless struggle since the tournament began.
However, Deschamps’ France is ready to take the necessary “precautions” that will allow them to keep the all-time great footballer and his side quiet.
‘I often get that feeling but I’m fine being alone. It doesn’t bother me,’ said the 54-year-old French coach, Deschamps ahead of the World Cup final clash.
‘These uncertainties always arrive. We are here and we have done everything we can to be well-prepared.’
‘I know that Argentina and many people around the world, even some French people as well, hope that Lionel Messi will win the World Cup — but we are going to do everything to achieve our objective.’
Some of France’s significant players in the team who were expected to face Argentina in the finals on Sunday have become a doubt for the showpiece event.
France’s national team are reportedly been plagued by injury and now a virus, with Raphael Varane, Ibrahima Konate, Aurelien Tchouameni, Theo Hernandez, and Kingsley Coman being potential absentees ahead of the final.
But for Messi’s Argentina, the excitement has been surging with many fans, including France supporters backing them to add a third World Cup trophy to their collections.
In the same vein, France manager Deschamps believes the defending champions can repeat their victory over the Argentines when they thrashed them 4-3 in the 2018 World Cup round of 16.
France got the better of Lionel Messi and his Argentina team four years ago in Russia World Cup on their way to claiming the ultimate trophy when they edged out their South American opponents 4-3 in a round of 16.
And having played against Lionel Messi before, France is aware of his potential and that is why Deschamps has planned to take precautions and limit Messi’s prowess.
Deschamps said: “We have already met him, do you remember (at the 2018 World Cup)? We will think about it. Inevitably, there are precautions to be taken to limit his influence.”
“Four years ago, we expected him to be more on the right and he was playing center-forward.
“Now, he is a playmaker, he has more freedom, so it will be more difficult to mark him. Unless he is sick, we don’t know, I don’t wish that for him of course.”
Being a player in 1998 and manager four years ago, the 54-year-old French boss remembered his older brother, Philippe Deschamps whom he lost in an air crash and noted he will strive to win the glamorous World Cup prize in his honor.
Didier Deschamps noted: “The years have passed. Time heals but we cannot forget. It happened at Christmas time. You remain marked by that for life, of course. These wounds are indelible.”
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi has already revealed that today’s World Cup final will be his last outing on the international stage with the motive to ensure that he bows out emulating the steps of Argentina icon Diego Maradona in 1986.
Looking at the wave of the challenge in today’s Qatar World Cup final clash between the two South American champions, it will no doubt be one of the best finals ever played in World Cup history.
