- Deschamps lifts off phone ban in locker rooms
- Cuts team talks by 30 minutes
- Claims the "codes have changed"
Deschamps has recently faced a lot of criticism amid Les Bleus failures at Euro 2024 and this year’s Nations League finals. However, the French national team manager acknowledges that he has made some concessions, primarily because the value and reasoning behind them no longer hold true. These changes include lifting the ban on phone usage in the locker room and cutting team talks from 45 minutes to 10 minutes.
Deschamps explains that if players are allowed to use their phones normally in their club locker rooms, his solitary fight to keep the ban in place wouldn’t be effective. He believes it’s better for his players to be able to connect with him at any time. He further shares how his approach to team talks has changed, noting that as time has passed, he no longer holds the same kind of authority with his players. However, he tries to connect with them on a personal level, beyond their life on the pitch.
Speaking to Ouest-France the French national team manager said: “I always allow the players the right to make mistakes, I warn them. Afterwards, I’m not there to prohibit them. If we take the example of cell phones in the locker room, what’s the point of me fighting when they have the freedom to use them at the club? It also helps me, because when they have a health problem at the club, they respond to me immediately when I send a message. You don’t take away a freedom. Afterwards, you have to set a framework. For me, it’s in the living environment and the working environment. Obviously, they tend to want to expand it.”
He further speaks about the time cut in his team talks as he added: “The codes have changed. My way of speaking, for example, because they are different. I used to have 45-minute talks, and that’s long. Today, the autonomy I have with the players is 10 minutes. So I get to the point. What’s important for me is to know, beyond who the players are, the human aspect, their character, their personality, and their sensitivity. They have different interests, musical tastes too.”
Talking about his contract expiration after 2026 World Cup, Deschamps said: “At some point, we get fed up with your face, it’s French. I feel like I’m saying goodbye. The last year, yes. After the criticism, there has always been some. Everyone can have different opinions, I never look back. I could have done things differently, yes. Would it have gone better? I have choices, responsibilities. The truth today won’t be the same in a month. The punishment is every three days in football. I’m totally impervious to anything external. Players are more or less sensitive. I have no problem with analysis. There’s only one line that shouldn’t be crossed; if you go beyond the human level, it’s not the same. It’s never stopped me from sleeping and doing things for the good of the French team.”
The 2026 World Cup will be Deschamps’ final hurrah with the French national team. The former French international, who took over from Laurent Blanc in 2012, might be leaving, but not without a fitting farewell. His side is set to face Ukraine and Iceland in the World Cup Qualifiers on September 6 and September 10.
