🚨 Graham Potter on Kylian Mbappé and Michael Olise after Sweden’s defeat to France:
🗣️ “There was a moment in the game that summed up exactly what makes those two so dangerous. Mbappé slipped Olise through one-on-one and we managed to stop it. On the touchline everyone was celebrating because we thought we’d survived.”
“I remember telling my staff, ‘Stay focused. Players like Michael Olise don’t disappear after missing one chance. They usually come back even more dangerous.’”
“A few minutes later, he picked up the ball again, skipped past his marker so effortlessly and delivered a pass to Mbappé that I still can’t explain. It wasn’t just the vision—it was the timing, the weight and the confidence to see something nobody else on the pitch could.”
“That was the moment I realised something. Against players like Mbappé and Olise, stopping them once doesn’t solve the problem. It only changes the way they’re going to punish you next.”
“They have that rare understanding where one always knows where the other will be. You can spend the entire week preparing for them, but in one second they produce something you simply cannot coach against.”
“That’s why France are so difficult to stop. It’s not just about individual quality. It’s the connection, the chemistry and the belief they have in each other. Sometimes all you can do is applaud because there are moments where footballers of that level remind you why they’re among the very best in the world.”
C'est le jour parfait pour rendre hommage à MONSIEUR Guy Stéphan (69 ans) ! 🫡 🇫🇷
Adjoint historique de Didier Deschamps, Stéphan a été d'une 𝗜𝗠𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗖𝗔𝗣𝗜𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗘 dans la réussite des Bleus ces dernières années.
Suivi des joueurs en club, préparation physique et mentale, cohésion de groupe... Un rôle essentiel, effectué dans l'ombre du sélectionneur.
Ce soir il sera en première ligne pour remplacer sur le banc Didier Deschamps, qui est actuellement auprès de sa famille.
C'est fou le nombre de compétitions auxquelles il a participé avec les Bleus dans sa carrière 😳 :
Euro 2000 🏆
Coupe du Monde 2002
Coupe du Monde 2014
Euro 2016 🥈
Coupe du Monde 2018 🏆
Euro 2020
Coupe du Monde 2022 🥈
Euro 2024
Coupe du Monde 2026 ❓
⚽️🇫🇷 FLASH | La FIFA a REFUSÉ d’autoriser l’équipe de France à porter un brassard noir face à la Norvège, en hommage à la mère de Didier Deschamps. (via @JulienFroment)
Didier Deschamps ne pourra pas assurer les entraînements avant la rencontre Norvège-France. Il ne pourra pas non plus être présent sur le banc vendredi pour le dernier match des Bleus dans le groupe I (21 heures, h.f.).
Le sélectionneur national a eu la douleur, ce mardi matin, d’apprendre le décès de sa maman. Il va rentrer en France pour assister à ses obsèques.
En accord avec Philippe Diallo, le président de la Fédération Française de Football, présent au camp de base de l’Équipe de France pour la Coupe du monde aux États-Unis, Didier Deschamps a confié la responsabilité à son adjoint, Guy Stéphan, de diriger le groupe d’ici à son retour.
Dans ce moment extrêmement douloureux, nous souhaitons beaucoup de courage au sélectionneur et à sa famille et les assurons du soutien de tous et toutes au sein de la Fédération.
Thomas Tuchel on Kylian Mbappé’s World Cup version after his performance against Iraq:
🗣️ “The scary thing about Kylian is not his speed. Everyone talks about the speed because that's what catches the eye. The scary thing is that when he arrives at a World Cup, he seems to transform into a completely different animal.”
“Against Iraq, you could see it from the first minute. Every touch looked dangerous, every run created panic, and every time he accelerated it felt like the entire defensive line was suddenly playing in survival mode. That is not normal, even at the highest level.”
“There are players who perform well during a season, and there are players who rise when the world is watching. Mbappé belongs to the second category. The bigger the stage becomes, the more comfortable he looks. It's almost as if pressure gives him extra energy.”
“What makes him frightening for opponents is that he doesn't need many opportunities. Some forwards require five or six chances to decide a match. Mbappé can change the entire story of a game with a single run, a single touch, or a single moment of brilliance.”
“When he starts playing with confidence, defenders begin making decisions they normally wouldn't make. They drop deeper, they hesitate, they lose their shape. Before you know it, he has already created the space he was looking for.”
“The World Cup version of Mbappé is different because he doesn't just play football — he plays with a sense of destiny. You can see it in his body language, in the way he demands the ball, and in the way he attacks every situation as if he knows something special is about to happen.”
“And if this is the level he is starting the tournament with, then every team left in the competition should be concerned. Because when Kylian Mbappé reaches this state, he doesn't just want to win matches... he wants to dominate an entire World Cup.”
🚨Zlatan Ibrahimović on Kylian Mbappé’s thunderous strike to put France 1-0 ahead against Iraq in their FIFA World Cup match:
🗣️ “That is not a goal. That is a warning to the rest of the world.
Some players score goals. Some players make statements. Mbappé just made a statement.
When you strike a ball like that, the goalkeeper has no chance. He can only watch.
What scares me most is not the goal — it’s the confidence. There is an aura around Mbappé right now. He looks like a man on a mission, and that is dangerous.
The World Cup is where legends are made, and Mbappé is playing like a man who wants to own this tournament.
If I am Lionel Messi, I am paying attention.
Because Mbappé is coming. He is hungry, fearless and playing with a belief that few players in football possess.
There is something special in his eyes at the moment. He looks unstoppable.
And when a player of his quality starts believing he can decide every game by himself, the rest of the world should be worried.”
{@btsport}
🔴 𝗟𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗗𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗘́𝗟𝗘́ 𝗔 𝗘́𝗧𝗘́ 𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗨𝗘́ 𝗔𝗨 𝗦𝗘𝗜𝗡 𝗗𝗘 𝗟’𝗘́𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗣𝗘 𝗗𝗘 𝗙𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 ! 👏
À sa sortie, il a continué d’encourager ses coéquipiers et a célébré avec joie le deuxième but de Mbappé.
🗞️ @FabriceHawkins