Why PSG's French players can leave with their heads held high?

The French national team suffered a 0-2 defeat to Spain in the World Cup semi-final on Tuesday. PSG-bound Lucas Digne gave away a penalty for the first goal on Lamine Yamal, which Mikel Oyarzabal had converted in the first half. Luis de la Fuente's side doubled their lead when Pedro Porro connected with Dani Olmo to slot home in the second half. Les Bleus can't dwell on the match for too long as they have a third/fourth placed playoff against England on Saturday, 18th July.

Here at PSG Post, we discuss why the French PSG players can leave the tournament with their heads held high, even though Didier Deschamps' side didn't win the World Cup for the third time in their history.

PSG players should hold their head high despite their World Cup exit

Ousmane Dembélé contributed in the tournament

In the World Cup, Dembele stepped up dramatically, scoring five goals and registering two assists in seven games. Before this World Cup, he had not scored in a major tournament for the French national team. The lowest point of his national career was his performance in the 2022 World Cup final against Argentina. He gave away a penalty, which was converted by Lionel Messi, when he fouled Angel Di Maria. Aside from giving away the penalty, he went missing throughout the first half, which is why it was unsurprising that he didn't feature in the second half.

Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué did well of the bench

Deschamps was torn between starting Doué and Barcola throughout the World Cup. Barcola scored two goals and got one assist in seven appearances, while Doué got one goal and an assist in seven appearances. Les Bleus coach has a big decision to make in the third/fourth-placed playoff on whether to start Doué or Barcola, as both have made a similar impact from the bench. Despite it being a meaningless game, both will be motivated to give their all against England as they want to show Luis Enrique why they should stay at PSG.

Players who didn't get much playing time will be more motivated

Whilst Dembélé, Doué and Barcola got gametime, the likes of Lucas Hernandez and Warren Zaire-Emery barely got a look in. When Zinedine Zidane comes in, Zaire-Emery could play a more prominent role long term, while Lucas Hernandez can feature as the starting left-back in the short-term, as the left-back and central midfield positions are France's weakest areas of the pitch. This will depend on whether N'Golo Kanté (35 years old) or Adrien Rabiot (31 years old) retires before the next Euros. Having limited playing time at the World Cup will motivate Zaire-Emery and Hernandez to come back stronger next season.

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