Deschamps: Mbappé is on a mission as France prepares for Sweden clash

France coach Didier Deschamps is focused on the "worst thing" – elimination – as his team prepares for a critical World Cup knockout match against Sweden. Deschamps stressed the importance of instilling in his players the mindset needed to overcome these high-stakes "couperets" (knockout) games.

"It's the worst thing to think about," Deschamps stated ahead of Tuesday's match. "I have always prepared the games by doing everything possible to ensure they go well. These are knockout matches. We must put into players' minds what we need to do to get through these stages."

Deschamps also touched upon his personal situation, having recently returned to his duties after the death of his mother. He described the experience as "very hard" but beneficial for his well-being and the team's focus. "It's good to have my head occupied," he said. "I resumed my duties on Friday, and everything went well in the third match. It was very hard, but for my own good and that of the French team, I had to go. It's a second competition that is starting."

Looking at the team's performance, Deschamps acknowledged their attacking prowess, noting, "We have the capacity to create danger, that's a strength, and we must keep it." However, he also pointed out the need to reduce the number of dangerous situations conceded, even though the team has only let in two goals while scoring ten. "We must always score one more goal, but that doesn't mean giving up what we've done. We conceded too many situations even though we only let in two goals. We scored 10. Can we get by like this? We did it four years ago with a similar setup," he recalled, referencing France's 2018 World Cup victory.

Regarding Sweden, Deschamps described them as a "good team" with a strong athletic presence and dangerous forwards like Gyökeres, Isak, and Elanga. He noted their speed and ability to repeat efforts, as well as their effectiveness on set pieces and long throws. "They have good footballers in midfield and are dangerous with set pieces, long throws... The three up front represent a very high investment for their respective clubs, and they are very good players who play in very good clubs," he added.

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On a la capacité à créer du danger, c’est une force et il faut la garder.