The French midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery expressed a strong desire for his team to seek revenge against Spain, aiming to erase the painful memories of their exit in the Euro 2024 semi-final.
France is set to face Spain on Tuesday, with both teams vying for a coveted spot in the World Cup final, a prize even more prestigious than the one Luis de la Fuente’s squad claimed two years ago. In their previous encounter in Munich, Spain emerged victorious, but a rejuvenated France has transformed its fortunes, showcasing an electrifying style of attacking football that has brought them to the last four.
“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 Euro 2024 squad, he made his major tournament debut during France’s quarter-final victory over Morocco on Wednesday. He offered a subtle critique of former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who faced accusations of racism for stating that the French team “does not have any French players” However, Zaïre-Emery mentioned that he had not seen Rajoy’s comments.
“This French team has players from different backgrounds and origins, and that’s what makes France,” he stated. “We are a united group, we are happy to be together, and that’s all that matters.”
Didier Deschamps may make a strategic change to the squad that comfortably defeated Morocco, potentially replacing the impressive Manu Koné with Aurélien Tchouaméni if the Real Madrid midfielder is cleared to play after recovering from a muscle injury.
Tchouaméni has missed the last two matches, but Deschamps has confirmed that the defensive midfielder is now fit for selection. Additionally, he alleviated concerns regarding 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 about 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.”
Earlier in the weekend, Deschamps labeled Spain as the favorites for the upcoming match and reiterated that assessment. “There is no lesson to be learned,” he stated. “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.”
Deschamps downplayed any notions of revenge for his team. In addition to the Euro 2024 encounter, France faced a 5-4 defeat in a thrilling Nations League semi-final last June. However, he believes that the past should not cloud the present.
“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.”
