Marcel Desailly has warned that France's left-back position is a potential weakness that could prevent them from winning the World Cup. The 1998 World Cup winner believes Didier Deschamps' side, despite their formidable attacking talent, may be vulnerable in defence against Morocco in the semi-final.
France's attacking prowess
Les Bleus have justified their pre-tournament favourite status with outstanding displays, showcasing their attacking talent. Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise have staked claims for the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. However, France were forced to show different qualities in their last-16 tie against Paraguay, who had knocked out Germany.
Desailly's concerns at left-back
Speaking to sportscasting.com, Desailly said: 'The only weakness comes at left back. Kounde is not really a problem, because if he's not capable of producing in the attacking third, at least he knows how to defend and he's smart enough. Lucas Hernandez goes both ways—his defensive skills are not up to what we are expecting, and his delivery is also not quite up to what we really want. That's why Deschamps will go for Digne, who is not a better player than Hernandez overall, but at least he is capable of being very strong on the defensive side.'
Ballon d'Or contenders
Desailly also discussed the Ballon d'Or race, noting that Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele have the advantage. He said: 'If you ask me today, in our minds, we always think about the last one who has performed. And the last one who did perform is Dembele. Your mind straight away talks about the French national team and goes, “Oh, Dembele will get it.” So it depends on the way all of them perform and the stats that will come out of it.'
He added: 'Mbappe has managed to become the best striker ever in the French national team, he broke that record at this World Cup, which is an astonishing achievement after a poor club season. Can you imagine having a poor season where you don't lift a trophy, but you still manage to score 40 odd goals? That is really something.'
Regarding Olise, Desailly said: 'I'm not sure the focus should be there yet. I'm not sure he is at the same level as Mbappe and Dembele. He still has to grow in the system. He has great potential and ability, but he's not yet fully pretending to be a Ballon d'Or contender when you know the names that are a little bit more advanced than him.'
