Where’s France’s flair gone? With Kylian Mbappe and Co STILL yet to score from open play Les Bleus boss Didier Deschamps is embracing his role as national killjoy, writes MATT BARLOW

Where has the French flair gone?

With his team failing to score from open play, Les Bleus coach Didier Deschamps has embraced his role as national spoilsport

The prospect of France taking on Spain at the European Championship brings back memories of 1984 for anyone of a certain level.

That was the summer of French football flair as created by Michel Platini, who has since been dogged by FIFA controversy but was then a superior and impeccable midfielder at the height of his powers. His flamboyant brilliance and record of nine goals in that tournament, including two hat-tricks in the group stage, were complemented by the silky skills of Alain Giresse, Jean Tigana and Luis Fernandez.

They edged past Portugal in the semi-finals after extra time and beat Spain in Paris to claim their first major trophy. Forty years on, there are echoes in the form of opposition, with games against Belgium, Portugal and Spain, though progress has been made in a very different style.

Platini led Michel Hidalgo’s scoring team to the title with 14 goals in five games, establishing an identity that would see France through another era of success as Zinedine Zidane took over Platini’s creative role. Under Didier Deschamps, however, it has been a very different story, never more evident than the first five games of this campaign, negotiated without defeat and with just three goals scored.

Two of those were own goals and the other a Kylian Mbappe penalty. The French flair is gone, although the barricades are stronger than ever. They have only conceded one penalty in Germany, a Robert Lewandowski penalty in a 1-1 draw with Poland.

“Yes, I am,” grinned Deschamps, who assumed the role of national spoilsport after the 120th minute of Friday’s penalty shootout against Portugal was goalless in Hamburg. “I’m a defence coach, so I play defence.”

It was a dull affair at times. Portugal dominated possession and took most of the risks, playing with a back four shielded by Joao Palhinha, four creative players and Cristiano Ronaldo leading the attack in his own way.

France, on the other hand, were solid, their defence bolstered by a trio of hard-working midfielders who are all primarily defensive in nature and with goalkeeper Mike Maignan in dominant form. ‘The teamwork is great and as a defender I’m proud of it,’ said right-back Jules Kounde. ‘The aim is always to score, of course, especially from open play. We’ll look at things we can improve but we’re not worried at all.’

France took the pressure and tried to counterattack, but Mbappé seemed increasingly tired and restless. He became irritated by the mask that protected his broken nose. The famous French newspaper L’Equipe rated his performance with a two out of 10.

After the match, Deschamps said for the first time that Mbappe, his captain, was also suffering from back problems and that he had asked to leave the field in extra time because he felt he had lost “his ability to accelerate”.

So, despite progressing to the last four, there has been a national debate about how best to rekindle the team’s attacking prowess, with Mbappe in dire straits and Antoine Griezmann ineffective. L’Equipe awarded Griezmann a three for his efforts against Portugal.

“You are very strict,” Deschamps said in response to critical questions after the match about those two in particular. “I will always defend my players. For different reasons, Kylian and Antoine are not playing their best football, but the situation is not the same. Both should make us more efficient.

“We lack efficiency, but we are there, and they are part of the team. Besides their footballing qualities, the strength of the team is still there.”

There are some parallels to be drawn with England’s struggling play in the early rounds, the lack of fluency leading to a flurry of well-meaning suggestions on how to get the best out of Mbappe and others who might share the scoring burden.

Those who aren’t in the team will always have their advocates. Ousmane Dembele impressed from the bench on Friday. Some have questioned why Olivier Giroud — the man who spearheaded the attack during France’s 2018 World Cup triumph without finding the net — wasn’t used more often, but Deschamps continues regardless.

The 55-year-old has been in the role for 12 years and knows what it takes to reach the final stages of tournaments. As captain, he won the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championship two years later. As coach, France reached three major finals and won the World Cup in 2018.

Deschamps believes the secret lies in being difficult to beat, although he understands the need for a bit more flair.

He survives in his pursuit of what would be a great achievement: winning two major titles as a player and as a manager.