Didier Deschamps delivered his final pre-match press conference as head coach of the French national team in Miami on July 17. For twenty-five minutes, he fielded questions about the France-England third-place playoff and, inevitably, his imminent departure.

“In my mind, I know full well that tomorrow marks the final curtain. Without anyone shedding tears—though I doubt anyone will—this team will be sorely missed. Twenty-five years leave their mark. But I’m fundamentally an optimist. What matters is always what lies ahead.”

A reshuffled squad for the final act

While downplaying the significance of the match, Deschamps stressed that he and his staff would “do everything possible to achieve the competition’s ultimate goal.” He added, “We won’t complain. How many teams have gone home empty-handed? 44. We didn’t get the match we wanted, but we have a duty. When you pull on the French shirt, it’s not to accept defeat. There’s a responsibility to uphold the expectations of millions of French fans who have lived and breathed this team—and are hurting.”

He offered no concrete hints about his starting lineup. Ibrahima Konaté, who spoke to the press just before him, personally advocated for the strongest possible team to be fielded. “If tomorrow we decide to rotate the squad and reward players who haven’t featured yet—and we lose—we’ll only have ourselves to blame,” the new Real Madrid defender cautioned. “We’re disappointed, yes, but this is a France-England clash. There’s history between these nations, and we must respect that—and the supporters.”

“No one will play out of obligation. There are no ‘easy’ selections. This is a match. Will I make wholesale changes? How many players does that involve? Yes, I’ll likely make some adjustments… [he trails off]. Some players simply can’t feature, while other factors will guide my starting choices.” Deschamps remained tight-lipped about potential absentees. William Saliba’s absence appears highly probable, while Kylian Mbappé is “available” and could yet finish as the tournament’s top scorer, whether in this edition or across all editions.