The pressure is getting to France manager Didier Deschamps, says Emmanuel Petit.
France opened their Nations League campaign with a 3-1 loss to Italy last week in what was the first match for Les Bleus since exiting Euro 2024 in the semifinals, and although they rebounded with a 2-0 victory over Belgium on Tuesday, the overall mood of the fans and media following the team is restless.
Petit, who was Deschamps' international teammate during their playing days, believes the World Cup-winning manager has started to show signs of buckling under the intense criticism he's received recently.
"Didier Deschamps has been under a tremendous amount of pressure since the European Championships," Petit told topoffshoresportsbooks.com. "A lot of the fans and the media were very unhappy with France’s tournament, and people have started to ask questions about him in the press and on social networks.
"Loads of people want him to walk away from the national team. The general vibe in France around him is, 'Thank you for everything. You're the best manager in French football history, but it’s time for a change.'
"After the defeat to Italy, those noises only increased, but maybe the tone of the message isn’t as friendly anymore. Now, all you have to do is look on social media or read and watch the news, and people are clear. It’s time to go.
"It’s turning into a war, Deschamps’ relationship with the press. His response to criticism hasn’t been positive, and it looks like all of the questions from the media are really starting to wear him down. He used to have a perfect handle on the media, but that’s changed. You can see that he is nervous now, he’s in a position where he has to defend and justify his decisions as a manager, which is new territory for him."
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