The French midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery has expressed his team’s determination to seek revenge against Spain, aiming to erase the painful memories of their exit in the Euro 2024 semi-final.
As France prepares to face Spain on Tuesday for a spot in the World Cup final, the stakes are even higher than the last encounter two years ago when Spain triumphed in Munich. A revitalized French squad has made a strong comeback, showcasing an impressive style of attacking football that has propelled them to the semi-finals.
“We have a different team, to my mind,” Zaïre-Emery remarked. “We are ready. We want to win against Spain and get our revenge for the Euros. We’re going to have to be focused. It’s a semi-final and that’s what we’re going to do, we’re going to deliver tomorrow.”
Although Zaïre-Emery did not play in the 2024 tournament, he made his significant tournament debut during France’s quarter-final victory over Morocco on Wednesday. He subtly criticized former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who faced allegations of racism for claiming that the French team lacked “does not have any French players” but stated he had not seen Rajoy’s remarks.
“This French team has players from different backgrounds and origins, and that’s what makes France,” Zaïre-Emery emphasized. “We are a united group, we are happy to be together, and that’s all that matters.”
Head coach Didier Deschamps may make a single alteration to the lineup that convincingly defeated Morocco, potentially bringing Aurélien Tchouaméni back in for the impressive Manu Koné, provided the Real Madrid player is fit after a muscle injury.
Tchouaméni has missed the last two matches, but Deschamps confirmed that the defensive midfielder is now available for selection. He also eased concerns about Kylian Mbappé, who suffered an ankle injury against Morocco and missed part of Monday’s training session. “He is allowed to do 10 minutes in one drill instead of 15.” Deschamps stated regarding Mbappé. “Forget about the first game against Cape Verde. Ever since then Spain have confirmed that they are the favourites. “I don’t want to add extra pressure to Luis and their team. He knows very well that people are expecting greatly of Spain. We know this could be a spectacular game between two teams with great quality offensively, but Luis and myself know how to defend well.”
Over the weekend, Deschamps labeled Spain as the favorites for the match and reiterated that view. “There is no lesson to be learned,” he stated. “Forget about the first game against Cape Verde. Ever since then Spain have confirmed that they are the favourites.
“It will be a battle of wills. There’s no revenge, the past is in the past. I’m focused on tomorrow’s match. If it motivates the players, all the better. I don’t want to diminish the importance of those two games but this is a World Cup semi-final.”
In contrast to Zaïre-Emery’s perspective, Deschamps downplayed the notion of seeking revenge against Spain. Besides the Euro 2024 match, they also faced a loss in a thrilling Nations League semi-final last June, but he anticipates a fresh start in Dallas.
“There is no lesson to be learned,” Deschamps remarked. “It will be a battle of wills. There’s no revenge; the past is in the past. I’m focused on tomorrow’s match. If it motivates the players, all the better. I don’t want to diminish the importance of those two games, but this is a World Cup semi-final.”
