Brutal Didier Deschamps blocks France players’ request before facing England in World Cup third place play-off

FRANCE manager Didier Deschamps denied his players’ request for a night out ahead of the World Cup third-place play-off against England. Les Bleus posed as favourites to win the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico throughout most of the competition but crashed out of the semi-finals after a heartbreaking 2-0 loss to Spain. France manager Didier Deschamps denied his players’ request for a night out Credit: Getty Images – Getty Kylian Mbappe and co wanted a free evening ‘as an opportunity to clear their heads’ before the game with England Credit: Alamy And according to L’Equipe, Kylian Mbappe and co wanted a free evening “as an opportunity to clear their heads” in Miami, where they will face the Three Lions tonight at the Hard Rock Stadium for third place. France stars even attempted to negotiate a midnight curfew but Deschamps, 57, outright refused. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! The same source claims the French tactician does not want to end his glittering 14-year stint in charge of the national team with back-to-back defeats. The ex-Juventus manager will leave his post on Sunday and is set to be replaced by Zinedine Zidane. But the ex-Chelsea star remains fully determined to win bronze for France, whom he led to the 2018 World Cup. This comes after England manager Thomas Tuchel, who oversaw a second-half collapse against Argentina in the semi-finals, suggested none of his or France’s stars want to play this game. Deschamps said: “The disappointment is commensurate with our ambitions, even if we also have to be factual, we have to accept it, there’s no other choice. “But we came up against a very good Spanish team who raised their game. Was it them, or were we simply a little below par? Most read in Football WORLD CUP 2026 FREE BETS AND SIGN UP OFFERS “We didn’t achieve the result we wanted, the result we expected, the result we aimed for. “We have this duty towards ourselves, towards what this jersey represents, towards all the people who are behind us and who have been so excited. “There are obviously many disappointed people, but there is a match. It’s not a friendly match. “Okay, it’s not going to change their lives, but all the players must have this duty.” Comment now