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Deschamps says attack is the best option for Les Bleus
MARSEILLE: France coach Didier Deschamps has called on Les Bleus to go on the attack to end a 58-year wait to beat Germany in a major tournament and book a spot
MARSEILLE: France coach Didier Deschamps has called on Les Bleus to go on the attack to end a 58-year wait to beat Germany in a major tournament and book a spot in the Euro 2016 final.
“We can’t change past history, but we’ve got our own page to write,” Deschamps said in Marseille on Wednesday.
“It’s the players who have to write this page because for the moment it’s blank. We’re facing the best team in the world, but the lads have to believe and we want the fans to believe in us too.”
“We need to score goals. This is a team that doesn’t concede a lot of goals,” said Deschamps, who saw his side book their last four spot with an impressive 5-2 win over England’s conquerors Iceland.
“Everyone talks about their attack, but they know how to defend. Against Italy, as soon as they lost possession, they harassed them to get possession back,” Deschamps added.
“Germany take command of their games and they dominate possession but we can’t go into this match thinking we’re going to defend then hit on the counter-attack. With all the respect we have for Germany, we have a great chance and we’re going to take it with both hands.”
The history books suggest that France face an uphill task. Germany have beaten France three times since 1958 in World Cup matches.
Germany won in the last eight on their way to World Cup triumph in 2014 and in the semifinal of the 1986 World Cup. In the 1982 World Cup semifinal the Germans beat France 5-4 in a penalty shootout.
Deschamps says past history won’t count. “It’s not every day you get to play a European Championship semifinal but to be totally honest I don’t even think about myself,” he said.
“I’ve never worried about my future, that’s part of my strength. It’s a privilege for me to be the coach of France because it means a lot to me.
“I get a lot from the players’ experiences, and I want us to go as far as possible.”
