David Z

Disappointed and heartbroken, those are my sentiments following France's comprehensive semi-final loss to Spain in the World Cup. I say comprehensive because I knew it was going to be a very difficult game the moment I saw the line up. Didier Deschamps' refusal to adapt tactically costed us the game, the stubbornness to play two midfielders against Spain often resulted in 3 v 2 situations, knowing full well that one of Spain's biggest strengths is their ability to control the game in the mid field. That is where the battle was fought and lost. Also, losing Saliba, our best defender, early in the game only made things worse. These are not excuses however, at the end of the day we simply lost to the better team so congratulations to Spain for reaching the final. Unfortunately France's third star will have to wait.

That being said, as much as this loss was entirely on Didier Deschamps, I still want to thank him for everything he's done for the national team and all the joy he's given us, the highs vastly outweigh the lows: 2018 World Cup winner and 2022 World Cup runner up, 2012 Nations League winner, 2016 Euro runner up. He will go down as one of the greatest national team managers of all time. Thank you once again.

Spent the last two weeks explaining to my co workers the difference between club/league and international football, goals vs points, offsides, and the various emotional reasons why the sport is loved globally… which weirdly often led to arguments regarding the distinction between ethnicity, nationality and cultural identity…?