Guy Stéphan answered questions at a press conference in Boston on Thursday, ahead of Norway-France, the French national team's final group match in the 2026 World Cup. The assistant coach of Didier Deschamps replaces the coach, who returned to France after the death of his mother.
"I feel like I don't belong here in front of you. My place is on the training pitch, setting up the equipment and waiting for the players to arrive."Guy Stéphan said.
“My thoughts are with Didier and his family.”
Guy Stéphan addressed the situation of the national team coach: “First, my thoughts are very much with Didier and his family. He was very affected by what happened to him, and who wouldn't be? I'm in close contact with him now. I'm going to do my best to make this difficult situation as normal as possible.”
He then confirmed that he would not speak with Deschamps during the match: "No. Tomorrow is a special day because it's the day of the funeral."
An important match to finish first
France has already qualified after two matches and six points. Guy Stéphan reminded everyone that the third match remained important: "We need to secure the third match, an important match, not decisive, but important."
The goal for Les Bleus is to finish in first place in the group: "Didier and the whole group want to finish first."
Logistics at the heart of the issue
Guy Stéphan explained the concrete benefit of finishing first: "From a logistical standpoint, it's completely different. Travel times are much longer if you finish second, with scheduling and temperature issues also playing a role. First place is the best."
Saliba absent, Lacroix expected
Regarding the team that will play, William Saliba will not play against Norway: "William won't be there tomorrow. Just look at the person who replaced him in the last few matches.""That's right," replied Guy Stéphan. Maxence Lacroix is therefore expected to replace him.
Mbappé defended by Stéphan
Guy Stéphan was unsurprisingly asked about Kylian Mbappé's level of play: "Kylian scores, he's never stopped scoring. Obviously, at a certain point, there may be criticism, which in my opinion isn't always justified." He recalled the role and statistics of the French captain "He's a captain, a leader, an exceptional player, with outstanding speed and efficiency. He has 100 caps, 60 goals, at 27 years old... These are exceptional figures."
Norway taken seriously
Guy Stéphan then detailed Norway's profile: "The Norwegian team has some very strong individual players: Haaland, Sorloth, Odegaard. They have a well-defined game plan, with or without the ball. They are capable of pressing the opponent."
He also emphasized Norway's strengths: "They are certainly strong in the air. They have qualities on set pieces that remind me of Arsenal. They have a lot of cohesion and quality. You don't get a perfect record in qualifying without that."
The French team wants to finish top of their group.
Norway vs. France will be played on Friday at 21 p.m. Didier Deschamps will be absent. Guy Stéphan will manage Les Bleus. France has qualified. The objective now is to finish first in the group.
