Kylian Mbappe took aim at Didier Deschamps' approach and tactics following France's 2-0 World Cup semi-final defeat to Spain at Dallas Stadium on Tuesday night. Mbappe saw his side's hopes of reaching a third straight World Cup final end after Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro scored to secure a victory for Spain.
The Real Madrid star struggled to get into the game, with his only chance of note being a harmless free-kick over the bar. In the aftermath, Mbappe questioned the way Deschamps set up his side.
Mbappe's Criticism of Tactics
Mbappe said: "We were three against two in midfield and against Spain, that's hard. Fabian [Ruiz] and Rodri had plenty of time to play. There was a lack of communication on the press. I think we should have done man-to-man press and force them to run with us."
He added: "We didn't play the game we wanted, technically, tactically. When you don't do what you have to do in a World Cup semifinal, you don't win. Spain respected their game plan and what the team usually does. They like to control the ball and the tempo. Our plan was to press them high so they could not install their rhythm. Because they are better than us at controlling a game. We didn't manage to do it. We were too sloppy technically. We could not hurt them when we could have. Even when we recovered the ball, our first touches were not good enough. That gives a defeat. It is a huge disappointment. But if we are objective, we didn't put all the ingredients to go to the final."
Cherki's Contrasting View
Despite the defeat, Mbappe's teammate Rayan Cherki claimed France are still the 'better team' than Spain. He said: "They were better in every aspect of the game. They wanted it more than we did. I am convinced that we are the better team, but this afternoon they were superior. They did not apply excessive pressure, it wasn't all over the pitch; there was time to play. Maybe we didn't know how to control our emotions."
Cherki added: "I don't know if we lacked solutions or desire. Today, they recovered possession more easily than we did. If we had won back more balls, we would have hurt them more. At halftime, the coach told us there were still 50 minutes left and that we would have chances. The disappointment is enormous. We knew their main strength was playing at a slow pace. Sometimes, we should have done the same. It was more difficult than we expected. I tried to help push the comeback. I don't think it was a lack of desire. They were better than us tactically, better positioned. We tried to solve those problems. We are in a World Cup semifinal; everything comes down to the details."
Impact and Analysis
France's defeat marks the end of their campaign in the 2026 World Cup, with Spain advancing to the final. Mbappe's outspoken criticism of Deschamps' tactics highlights internal discord within the squad. The team struggled to implement their game plan, with Spain dominating possession and tempo. France's inability to press effectively and poor technical execution were key factors in the loss.
