From our special correspondent in Bucharest,
You too this Tuesday morning you have the impression of having caught yourself a semi-trailer barely thrown in the face? Cool, so that means “we are taught”. To show you the degree of astonishment in which the sports department of 20 minutes after the elimination of the Blues in the round of 16 against the Nati, here is what we were about to publish when Gravanovic came to equalize in the 90th minute on Monday night.
“Why bother looking for the rational where there is only the inexplicable, the madness and the divine?” Passed to a finger, that of Lloris, of a pitiful elimination which would have earned them tar and feathers on their return from Bucharest, after a hen phase which swarmed more questions than they offered answers on the real one. potential of the Blues, this match against the Nati seems to have marked the birth of a group. Like three years almost to the day, against Argentina, in Kazan. And like three years ago, the Blues were scared to the end (BECAUSE THIS IS OUR DESTIIIIIIIIIIN). But it is in difficulty and fear that the most beautiful epics are constructed. And god knows this one starts off pretty darn well. “
Here it is …
But we’re above that, aren’t we? And then let us also know how to take our share of disillusionment. Yes, we, the blessed generation of French people to whom the French team offered two world championship titles (1998 and 2018), a European champion title (2000), a World Cup final (2006) and a Euro final (2016). On this subject, we exchanged with a colleague of Portuguese origin before the meeting and he explained to us that he already felt very privileged to have known during his lifetime the victory in the final in 2016.
What should we say then? There you have it, it seemed necessary to put things in context. Especially since it may not be over. The 2022 World Cup was (already) tomorrow. So we dry our tears and explain to you why the best is yet to come.
Because it is in the pains of today that the success of tomorrow is built
Didier Deschamps (and not only him, for that matter) repeated it enough: the title of world champion in 2018 would perhaps never have existed without the immense disappointment born of this tense shot by Eder in the final of the l ‘Euro 2016. We give you the verse of “I never lose, either I win or I learn”, but there is that. And hearing the players after the Bucharest slap, we tell ourselves that this group has the mental qualities (and talent) necessary to make this premature elimination a springboard to the third star.
Mbappé: “The sadness is immense after this elimination, but the most important thing will be to get up and be even stronger for the next deadlines to come”. Especially since, according to Moussa Sissoko, Monday evening in the mixed zone, “the disappointment is even stronger” this year than it was in 2016. Can’t wait for 2022, right?
Because we really want to see how Deschamps will react
Often mocked for having always preferred in his career the results and the prize list to the way of playing and to make play his teams, the French coach risks quickly to have desires of revenge. Especially since, as he confessed to us on Monday, he “assumes” much of the responsibility for this early elimination. And if some will take the opportunity to claim his head and demand to see Zizou’s ball to zero on the bench of the Blues by the World Cup in Qatar, as much as they immediately make themselves a reason: Deschamps n does not intend to pass the keys to the truck to his former teammate in the France team and to Juve.
DD: “You know, we said things to each other. There is solidarity, unity in this group, a strength that emerges. I have a responsibility, I assume it, but I am with them and they are with me. It’s sport, you have to accept it, even if it hurts. We will see you in September (smile) ”.
Because Benzema will be here again and the space trio may hurt a lot
We may be open-minded and believe that, as Thuram said after his double in the semi-finals against Croatia in 1998, “anything is possible in football”, we do not imagine for a single moment that Karim Benzema a year from now will not be the formidable ball player / athlete he is today. And then Deschamps did not call him back after more than five years in prison in Valdebebas to immediately remove the delicacy from our mouths.
No, KB Nueve will obviously be traveling to Doha in December 2022. And this time, he will have had time to rehearse his ranges with Griezmann and Mbappé. However, when we see what that could have given in barely a month of living together and a few games together, we say to ourselves that it is not tomorrow that the whole world will stop envying us this too magical.
Because as long as there is life, there are Hopes
For those who have a little memory – and little pride, like us, remember what we said to ourselves when we saw Sylvain Ripoll’s list for the Euro Espoirs. It was something like “even the Under-21 team” could do a lot of harm to the Euro des A. It’s true that looking at it more closely, there is something to salivate a little anyway: let us cite pell-mell Edouardo Camavinga Rennes), Aurélien Tchouameni (Monaco), Wesley Fofana (Leicester), without forgetting the Houssem Aouar, Amine Gouiri and others Maxence Caqueret or Moussa Diaby. If with this competition, already ready to come and shake the A’s, we cannot create a positive emulation, it is really that we are putting in bad will.
So, are you better, folks? We did everything we could anyway.