France vs Iraq: Deschamps Sticks with Winning Team
Didier Deschamps is not in the mood for experiments. After watching his France side brush aside Senegal 3-1 in their World Cup opener, the national team coach is expected to keep his hand steady rather than shuffle the pack for Monday night’s meeting with Iraq, according to L’Équipe.
This is classic Deschamps. When his team hits the right notes, he rarely changes the tune.
A slow burn that exploded
France did not start like potential champions against Senegal. The first 45 minutes were flat, short on tempo, and well below the standards Deschamps demands. Les Lions de la Teranga disrupted their rhythm, won duels, and asked questions.
The response came behind closed doors at half-time.
Whatever was said in that dressing room, it stung. France emerged transformed: sharper in the press, cleaner on the ball, more ruthless in the final third. The passes snapped, the runs had purpose, and the pressure finally told. Three goals in the second half turned an awkward evening into a statement win.
That turnaround is precisely why Deschamps is reluctant to touch too much ahead of Iraq. He has seen this core react, suffer, and then take control. Coaches remember those moments.
Near full squad, no new alarms
The medical bulletin only strengthens his hand. No fresh fitness concerns have appeared in the wake of the Senegal victory. The group came through unscathed, the kind of quiet detail that can define a tournament run.
Malo Gusto and William Saliba remain on individual treatment programmes, both being managed carefully as they work back towards full sharpness. Their situations are being monitored, but nothing from the opener has worsened their condition or added new doubts.
For Deschamps, that means almost a full deck to choose from. In a competition where injuries can rip up the best-laid plans overnight, that is a luxury.
So Iraq await a France side that has already been tested once, already been reprimanded once, and already responded once. Deschamps looks set to trust the same backbone again. Now the question is simple: can they start as strongly as they finished?
