French soccer star Adrien Rabiot didn’t hold back in criticizing his team’s performance, labeling their behavior in Miami as both ‘unacceptable’ and ‘shameful’ after France was eliminated from the World Cup.
Following a semifinal defeat to Spain in Dallas, the team, initially pegged as favorites, looked to regain some honor against Thomas Tuchel’s England in the bronze medal match on a Saturday afternoon.
However, the defending 2018 champions faltered dramatically in the Florida heat, conceding four goals in the first half alone to England, resulting in an astonishingly poor display.
Coach Didier Deschamps attempted to redirect the team’s course during a hydration break in the first half, but disturbances were evident. Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki was caught waving off Deschamps’ guidance, choosing not to heed his directions.
Cherki, along with fellow Premier League talents Ibrahima Konate and Malo Gusto, received harsh criticism from the French media. The outlet L’Equipe, notorious for its stringent player evaluations, rated them a dismal 2 out of 10.
France star Adrien Rabiot hit out at his teammates’ ‘shameful’ display against England
Les Bleus, pictured with manager Didier Deschamps, shipped four first half goals as they lost 6-4 in the bronze final in Miami
French publication L’Equipe gave three Premier League stars a 2/10 rating
And despite mounting a second half comeback to walk away with a more respectable 6-4 defeatl, Rabiot was equally critical of his teammates in the aftermath of their defeat in Miami.
‘We started the first half quite shamefully (losing 0-4),’ he told BeIN Sports.
‘I saw behaviour from some players that I’d never seen before. It’s a bit disappointing, because it was the last match to do well in this competition.
‘There’s a lot of disappointment after the loss against Spain, but there was work to be done until the very end, and we can’t just be content with sloppy play like that.
‘We talked at halftime, we told ourselves we needed to show some pride, and it was much better in the second half, because in the first half, some of the behavior was unacceptable.’
Rabiot’s rebuke comes after France captain Kylian Mbappe criticised his manager’s ‘sloppy’ tactics and his teammates’ poor communication after their elimination at the hands of Spain.
‘We were three against two in midfield, and against Spain, that’s hard,’ Mbappe admitted. ‘Fabian [Ruiz] and Rodri [Hernández Cascante] had plenty of time to play.
‘There was a lack of communication on the press. I think we should have done man-to-man press and force them to run with us.’
Mbappe also shared that he did not believe France had played the game they wanted, ‘technically, tactically’.
‘When you don’t do what you have to do in a World Cup semi-final, you don’t win,’ he added, in an apparent jibe at his teammates. ‘Spain respected their game plan and what the team usually does.
They like to control the ball and the tempo. Our plan was to press them high so they could not install their rhythm. Because they are better than us at controlling a game. We didn’t manage to do it. We were too sloppy technically. We could not hurt them when we could have.
‘Even when we recovered the ball, our first touches were not good enough. That gives a defeat. It is a huge disappointment. But if we are objective, we didn’t put all the ingredients to go to the final.’
Their performance comes after Kylian Mbappe’s criticism of his team-mates in Dallas
Mbappe has been managed by Deschamps for the entirety of his international career, with the head coach overseeing his breakout World Cup debut in 2018.
The 1998 World Cup winner also handed Mbappe the armband three years ago, after stripping Antoine Griezmann of the honour in favour of the then-24-year-old.
Mbappe was also quick to ensure that he was held responsible for the defeat, adding matter-of-factly: ‘At the end of the day, you take all the glory when you win, and when you don’t win, you have to – sorry – to take the s***’.
Deschamps had been hoping to leave his post as manager of Les Bleus on a high, with the 2026 World Cup his last in charge of the national team.
Zinedine Zidane is expected to takeover from his former team-mate, and will be tasked with exacting the huge potential within his star-studded squad.
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