France won't 'change course' after loss to Italy

France coach Didier Deschamps will stick to his plans to make multiple changes and rotate the lineup for Monday’s Nations League clash against Belgium in Lyon, he said on Sunday.

France suffered a 3-1 loss to Italy on Paris on Friday in a poor start to their Nations League campaign but Deschamps insisted this would not deter him from sticking to his pre-determined plans.

“The six Nations League matches must be used to introduce new players and distribute playing time,” he told the pre-match press conference.

“If we had a different schedule and were playing World Cup qualifiers, I would not have chosen this course, that’s for sure. But I chose it because I believe that we have to go through it. I’m not going to change course.”

After their opening two Nations League games, France play Israel and Belgium next month and conclude their Group A2 fixtures against Israel and Italy in November.

Deschamps said he was looking for a positive reaction to the Italy loss, where France were ahead inside 20 seconds but handily beaten in the end.

“I can’t be satisfied with the match against Italy, nor can the players. Tomorrow is another game, another context, a different team with the same obligation,” he added.

“The course I have taken is to give as much playing time to as many players as possible. Whatever the playing time, there is always pressure, you have to perform as well as possible.”

Belgium, meanhwile, are still hurting after their Euro 2024 exit at the hands of France, with manager Dominic Tedesco feeling they showed them too much respect in their round-of-16 loss this summer in Dusseldorf, Germany.

“At the European Championship, it was a close one against France. We could have won too,” Tedesco said at a press conference on Sunday. “France were a bit better, they deserved to win, but we also had our chances. It would be a lie if I said that match is forgotten, it still hurts. I often think about the European Championship, but you also must look ahead.”

Belgium began their campaign with a 3-1 win over Israel behind closed doors on Friday in Debrecen, Hungary where they had switched the match for security reasons.

Information from Reuters was used in this story.