apply to the defending world champions here in Qatar<\/a>.
True, there was a time in the 2000s when an imperious Zidane-helmed Les Bleus was the gold standard in world football, but while the apple doesn\u2019t fall too far from the tree, this current generation\u2019s indomitable spirit and quiet grit bears more resemblance to a German model of recent yore than their own original masters.
The one little thing, however, that sets the two apart, apart from the terrifyingly direct and effective methods of Kylian Mbappe, is that little spectre of implosion that Didier Deschamps\u2019s men bring to themselves. <\/p>\n
True, Lothar Matthaus and Jurgen Klinsmann, the two German legends of the 1990s couldn\u2019t apparently stand the sight of each other after a point, but that was at Bayern \u2018Hollywood\u2019 Munich and it seldom seemed to affect the Mannschaft. In contrast, differences among the stars in the Les Bleus ranks, much of it being in the public domain, could hurt their campaign. (France midfielder Adrien Rabiot during a press conference – AFP Photo)<\/span> Rabiot took the elephant head on. <\/div>\n
Furthermore, history is against them.
Since 2002, when their own team sparked off an unflattering trend, all defending champions have exited at the group stage itself. While a spate of injuries has robbed proven stars of their place, they have thrust others into the first XI mix.
Meet Adrien Rabiot, the tall, ever-running midfield mop-up man in here, a shoo-in here for a starting spot after Paul Pogba and N\u2019 Golo Kante were ruled out injured. More famously, it was Rabiot\u2019s mother, Veronique, who brawled openly with Pogba and Mbappe\u2019s family in the Parc de Princes VIP stands, alleging that the two superstars didn\u2019t apply themselves more effectively as France<\/a> were knocked out by Switzerland in the Euro semifinals. <\/p>\n![\"Adrian-Rabiot-afp\"](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/imgsize-23456,msid-95615967,width-600,resizemode-4\/95615967.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
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It brought to the fore the divisions in the France camp, the simmering racial tensions, the cliques and the personality clashes, and after the return of Karim Benzema to the French equation \u2014 after a banishment of over five years and after a word by Zidane no less \u2014 last year, Deschamps has more creases on a permanently worried-looking face.
Yet, on Friday, Rabiot was promising to repose the faith Deschamps is putting on him.
\u201cThe coach has found the right words to describe me as a balanced player,\u201d he said, \u201cWe have to stay united so that we don\u2019t look outside for things to evolve in serene fashion. We were eliminated early in Euros so we have to correct that.\u201d
Clearly, the Euros exit, the manner of it, has rankled. Even a fine Nations League victory over a young, talented Spain side has not assuaged matters. The mother\u2019s argument in the stands has overshadowed a lot of things. It may just have helped that both Rabiot and Pogba currently find themselves at the same club, Juventus, after leaving PSG and Manchester United respectively. <\/p>\n
\u201cI see Pogba every day (at Juventus) and we have been speaking about it. He has been very encouraging and following the progress.\u201d
The midfielder is thankful for the opportunity opening up.
\u201cI\u2019m capable of playing at different positions. The most important thing is to play. It\u2019s my first World Cup so there is a certain amount of pressure but it\u2019s not overbearing,\u201d he said, \u201cIt\u2019s a big challenge and it\u2019s great to be able to defend the title. Going to the final won\u2019t be an easy task. But we have the opportunity to do something special.\u201d
Words that one would normally associate with a certain German model of the 1990s. <\/p>\n![\"FIFA](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/imgsize-23456,msid-95615997,width-600,resizemode-4\/95615997.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
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