Close human and professional ties unite them. Didier Deschamps and his assistant Guy Stéphan keep repeating: “There is never a millimeter of difference between us”. The two accomplices have known each other for more than two decades now and have been collaborating with unquestioned success since 2009 in Marseille, first, then in the French team then. The 64-year-old Breton technician had a first life in selection in the staff of Roger Lemerre from the spring of 2000 to the summer of 2002 with a continental title at stake.
This Tuesday, 9:10 p.m., against Bulgaria, he will celebrate his 150th cap against Bulgaria. Gathering his memories, this precious man in the shadows, both intimate with the boss of the Blues and close to the locker room, revisited 7 dates that marked his career. Like so many precious markers of a career placed under the sign of competence and loyalty.
“I arrived a bit on tiptoe”
Scotland-France, March 29, 2000 (friendly, 0-2)
“I was a national trainer at the DTN, notably in charge of the France A ‘team. Roger Lemerre wanted to expand his staff already made up of René Girard, the late Bruno Martini and Henri Emile. He asked me to join them for Euro 2000. I arrived a bit on tiptoe. I watched a lot. Before this match in Scotland, I discovered players that I did not yet know such as Laurent Blanc, Marcel Desailly, Didier Deschamps, Bixente Lizarazu or Youri Djorkaeff…. I was delighted to be among them. They were happy to be reunited. And to win together. Regarding the meeting itself, I have in mind a well-controlled success, reflected in goals from Sylvain Wiltord and Thierry Henry. There was no photo between the two nations. It is a beautiful memory. “
“I saw the Italians decompose”
France-Italy, July 2, 2000 (Euro 2000 final, 2-1 golden goal)
“What a stunning encounter carried by an incredible scenario. We run after the score before equalizing at the last minute of added time. The three players involved in our two goals, namely Sylvain Wiltord, David Trezeguet and Robert Pires, all entered during the game. This winning coaching is to the credit of Roger (Editor’s note: Lemerre). I remember these images of the transalpines, ten meters from us, arm in arm in front of their bench and impatient at the idea of celebrating their success. It also comes back to me the explosion of joy of Roger. He rushes to David after his golden goal. The joy was enormous. When Sylvain scores, everything is clear in my head: we are going to be European champions. I saw the Italians decay. They were no longer there. “
“France was in the grip of a form of attrition”
France-Senegal, May 31, 2002 (1st match of the 2002 World Cup, 0-1)
“This inaugural and unexpected defeat conditions the rest of our tournament marked by a sad exit from the first round. The French team, holding the trophy, had less freshness. It was in the grip of some form of wear and tear. Zizou was injured (Editor’s note: he will only participate in the 3rd game). We could then measure the extreme difficulty for a nation to maintain itself at the highest level over time. Our example is not isolated. Germany, crowned in 2014, did not see the round of 16 in 2018. Beyond the disappointment, this failure against Senegal remains for me, with hindsight, loaded with symbols. A few months later, I was going to become, in fact, the coach of Senegal. In South Korea, it was impossible for me to imagine such a rebound. The story does not end there. I left Senegal after a quarter-final at CAN 2004 lost against Tunisia by… Roger Lemerre. “
“The first act of my second life with the selection”
France-Uruguay, August 15, 2012 (friendly, 0-0)
“The coach’s post was vacant. Didier (Deschamps) was physically marked by the end of his adventure in Marseille. When the President (Noël le Graët) contacted him, he asked for time for reflection before accepting only a few days later. He asked me to accompany him. I did not hesitate for a single second. That brings us to his debut against Uruguay. A friendly confrontation to prepare for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers in September. It does not go down in the annals. If not, personally, like the first act of my second life with the selection. When I look at the scoresheet, today there are Hugo Lloris, Olivier Giroud, Karim Benzema and Raphaël Varane. The latter remained on the bench. The other three were titular. “
“We made the statistics lie”
France-Ukraine, November 19, 2013 (return play-off, 3-0)
“Between the outward journey and the return trip, in four days we went from hell to paradise. In Kiev, we are doing almost well with this 0-2. We come close to correctional several times, but we stay alive. At the Stade de France, we overthrow everything in total osmosis with our supporters. Rarely in my career have I had to deal with such motivated players. All the statistics have been put to the lie. Never has a nation, defeated by two goals in a first play-off, managed to qualify before us. Before then after the game, each of our goals, the atmosphere: I have everything in mind. I was deeply marked by this France-Ukraine. As I have often explained, today we would not be talking about my 150th presence on a bench if we had not crossed this pitfall. Everything would have stopped on this November evening. “
“Everything changes on a roll of the dice”
France-Portugal, July 10, 2016 (Euro 2016 final, 0-1)
“I have a conviction on this episode. We played our final against Germany (2-0). But it was a semi-final. We consumed a lot of energy in this opposition at the Vélodrome stadium. We had not recovered enough against Portugal. Everything changes on a roll of the dice. I’m not going to say Dede, given Gignac’s strike on the post. Just a few millimeters … But, undoubtedly, many players in this match have learned the lessons to go after two years later in Russia We always learn from a defeat. This turned out to be profitable. Everyone has understood that a victory, whatever the identity of the adversary, is never an end in itself. When we advance in a tournament, it is to go to the end. A form of euphoria had seized the locker room after Germany. There was nothing like it in 2018 before the final success. “
“Strong and surgical”
France-Argentina, June 30, 2018 (round of 16 of the 2018 World Cup, 4-3)
“A sweet madness presides over this match. An irrational side. The twists are linked. We quickly gain the advantage. The Argentine remakes his handicap thanks to Di Maria, then leads for 9 minutes. This will also be the only time, during the competition, where we are behind. During this time, we are virtually eliminated. Then we erase this handicap with this incredible strike from Benjamin (Pavard) on a cross from Lucas (Hernandez). We even give the impression of coming away with the double from Kylian (Mbappé), before Argentina’s third goal in added time. The mental and moral qualities of the team, its ability to overcome pitfalls without panicking were so many valuable lessons for the future. At the end of this round of 16, I was not sure that we would be world champions, but I realized better the strength of the group. Strong and surgical. “
