World Cup 2018: Win or bust for Didier Deschamps and his France system

The performance of Paul Pogba in the underwhelming 1-0 victory over Belgium very much demonstrated what this France side have come to represent at the World Cup

In the immediate aftermath of France’s convincing shutting down of Belgium, the celebrations in the dressing room soon turned to natural back-slapping of the players. Most of the praise was of course reserved for goalscorer Samuel Umtiti and his rock-solid defensive partner Raphael Varane. Blaise Matuidi was also singled out but many mentioned the disciplined performance of Paul Pogba.

He had been brilliant in the air, winning so many balls against Marouane Fellaini and doing such a supreme defensive job.

There was also one excellent attack when he fed Kylian Mbappe, but that was about it.

He was actually doing exactly what many have bemoaned during his two seasons back at Manchester United, because he wasn’t doing more. He wasn’t really illustrating the full array of expressive abilities we know he has, and it could even be argued that he completely personifies this French team: supreme talent mostly doing mundane jobs… and getting through.

This isn’t really about Pogba but actually cuts to a philosophical question at the core of the game, a big question at the core of Didier Deschamps’s entire reign, and one where the perception and answers will always be guided by results.

Because France beat Portugal, Pogba’s display will go down as magnificent. After all, since he did what was asked, and they did what was required, they are in the World Cup final.

It is very difficult to argue with that.

But does it go beyond such arguments?

As with Pogba, does Deschamps owe this talent more than the way they’re playing?

Pogba's performance against Belgium felt very much like his Manchester United form (AFP/Getty)

How would you describe France’s system, for example? It is essentially keeping very, very solid while Kylian Mbappe runs and Antoine Griezmann floats. There doesn’t seem that much to it.

There will of course seem much more to it if they go and win the World Cup.

But there is a fair question here over whether this is really the best way to go about doing it? Would it not make more sense to look to get that talent combining in a way that multiplies all of their abilities, and in a way that is surely possible?

The fact is that, a little like with Germany in 2014, France now produce such an array of talent that they should always be favourites; that this should arguably be the minimum expectation.

There’s also the other argument, that Deschamps’s attempts to constantly play for 1-0 in tight games when they didn’t give up much actually ended up costing them in Euro 2016. They could have reasonably gone on to swarm Portugal 3-0 in that game after Cristiano Ronaldo went off injured, but it was as if they couldn’t quite escape the rigours of their system – and left themselves open to one-off incidents like Eder’s shot out of nowhere and thereby 1-0 defeats.

There is a danger of that now, even if the team has obviously grown since 2016, too.

France's coach has an abundance of talent to work with (AFP/Getty) (AFP/Getty Images)

That defeat obviously hangs over this, too.

There is naturally a sense of France just wanting to get the job of winning a trophy done, and then maybe they will move on. That was actually precisely what happened with Deschamps’s 1998 team, who seemed to enjoy a quantum leap in Euro 2000, of the type that can only come from the confidence a trophy now.

They are not just playing with confidence now. They are playing with proper conviction.

If it ends, with victory, it will be impossible to argue. But that’s the ultimate point of Deschamps’s football

He know just has to go and win. The players, and Pogba, would argue he knows exactly how to.