The Blues' Victory
First of all, a big Bravo to the French team and their manager!
So this success — shall we take a closer look ...
Didier Deschamps :
D.D. : luck, some say ...
or maybe simply Didier, the coach, who understood it all?
Luck? Do you believe in that?
Not me!
You create your own luck!
Team Cohesion :
For a team to succeed in a team sport, there is one foundational element: cohesion.
This team showed that to us throughout the tournament.
We felt a team that moved forward together, increasingly so. Everyone in the group seemed to know their role and feel respected. The team felt like a unit. And while the tactical unit was built little by little, the team's cohesion was visible even during the weak moments.
In the group-stage matches we saw a team struggling to find a playing identity. There were inconsistencies between the lines, in midfield, in some phases or movements. But when the team had trouble winning, it still found ways to win; and when it couldn't, it fought to avoid losing.
The plan and objectives seemed clear and earned the players' buy-in.
After the very painful match against Denmark, talk was almost exclusively about the poor quality of the game and the weak performance in terms of play.
Yes — that Danish team played a tactical, not very exciting game. Like us, in fact... history may remember that those two teams were the ones who qualified for the last 16.
This French team was ugly to watch, but it achieved its first objective: finishing top of its group.
A clear-sighted Deschamps rightly reminded us that the goal was not to play beautiful football or to be entertaining, but simply to get past that stage.
That first stage had been cleared.
Deschamps built strong cohesion in this group, and a right level of confidence that translated into unwavering determination and the necessary commitment — for starters, substitutes, and even those who didn't play at all.
Didn't you get the impression that all the substitutes felt invested in this World Cup? Everyone ready to achieve the objective regardless of status, regardless of playing time. Ready to go into battle.
That's what cohesion looks like.
Confidence :
Another element that characterizes this success is confidence. What I like to call the "just-right confidence": a balanced mix of doubt and belief. A balance that allows both relaxation and vigilance.
To achieve consistent and improving performance, it's essential.
Again, hats off to Deschamps — you could feel that the starters were as confident as the players on the bench. He had created group confidence.
Did you have the impression that the bench players seemed less confident? Not for me! The overall visual impression was very homogeneous. And it's a huge asset for a team when all 23 players trust one another.
Deschamps knew how to use each player's skills and their complementarity, on and off the pitch. He found the right words.
I think he found the right blend: fighting as if afraid to lose combined with the determination to do everything possible to win. How? By allowing each athlete to play their game at their level. Making sure the team is aware of its strengths so it can play to them — that is, do what it knows how to do. Together.
Being at 100% is a necessary prerequisite to surpass yourself. We all know confidence is a real asset for the athlete. Euphoria, on the other hand, is illusory.
This team progressively radiated that just-right confidence!
Clearly Deschamps enabled, through his overall strategy — his choices, the construction of the group, and the congruence of his message — the uniting of the whole group behind a single objective: bringing the World Cup home together. This isn't Deschamps' victory alone. It's not the World Cup for CR7 or for Messi. It's the victory of an idea, of work, of a team.
He instilled, individually and collectively, the desire and mindset to never give up. To always make that extra little effort that makes the team win.
Managing Emotions :
Do you remember 2006 when Zidane lost his temper on Materazzi ...
Did you feel, at that moment, good emotional management of the event?
Not likely.
Technique, tactics, desire, determination? Yes — but without managing emotions (it's very risky, and obviously no less so at the highest level ...)
Do you remember the Knysna nightmare? The breakdown of a squad that shot itself in the foot ... despite the quality of the players present?
Was that team weaker than the one in 2018? Who can say?
That side was not at all united; no one felt part of a coherent project or ready to follow a manager who was incoherent and jeered.
Undeniably, the difference between 2010 and 2018 is striking.
On one side: cohesion, confidence, respect, emotional management = a solid team mentality.
On the other: simply the exact opposite. No cohesion, distrust, little respect and don't even mention emotional management ... = disaster.
Confidence allows you to be yourself, and being yourself is the essential prerequisite for surpassing yourself.
Being Yourself :
To be able to give your best you must start by being yourself.
What better example than this bunch of guys? Firmly guided when needed, with a frank, honest and sincere message, yet allowing freedom of expression and life. A perfect example of what it takes for an individual to thrive.
Did you hear on RMC D. Riolo's remarks about the look of well-being on Lloris's face — he who is so often closed-off or almost sad?
Did this group and coach allow him to 'free' himself, one might say?
To the point of even attempting a cheeky dribble inside the box that nearly led to a goal — with no negative consequence.
The relaxation can sometimes lead to a loss of focus.
That's also what mental training is about: finding the right emotional balance, the equilibrium between relaxation, stress and concentration, even re-concentration.
What solutions did he come up with at the most important moments?
Respect !
Of course, not all the credit goes exclusively to Deschamps and his staff, since these players train at the highest level all year ... yes, but so do their opponents!
Except that he is the mastermind, the conductor of this adventure!
Other examples of successful emotion management and concentration jumped out during the tournament ... but that will be the subject of a future article.
Mbappé's apparent ease, Griezmann's focus, Pogba's serenity, Varane's selflessness, Pavard's precise strike on his very first shot, Lloris' re-focus ... From a mental standpoint there's plenty to analyze and unpack to understand this success.
I will be happy to continue discussing this tournament with you — and many others, of course.
Thank you for reading this article, which I wanted to share with you and which I wrote under the supervision of my friend and football coach Michael Ribbes.
Michael Ribbes
Football coach at Athletico Sports Club, Lebanon - partner club of Olympique Lyonnais
Whatever your sport — whatever your level
Mental training is no longer optional!
The mental training isn't something you decide on after failure
You choose the mental training to succeed