France – D. Deschamps: “Italy has turned us into better players”

Comments from Clairefontaine

“I spent the first two days after the PARAGUAY match recovering. It was in this match that I really suffered. Emmanuel PETIT and I ran around a lot without achieving much. We have the advantage of knowing the Italian players well. ITALY has turned us into better players and we have won more competitions. We have also progressed mentally, physically and tactically. We have a fierce desire to get through this round. There will be a lot of pressure. I am expecting the game to be extremely tactical and very tight. Both teams have a very solid defensive unit. A piece of individual brilliance could make the difference. Defensively, I don’t know if we’re better but we’re certainly not worse. The Italians have gone for a five-man defence with three central defenders and man-to-man marking. We play with a flat back four. Tomorrow I will be there to protect my defence. ITALY’s experience in the World Cup is an asset to them. We’re counting more on our individual players’ track records in major clubs. We will need the public to get behind us. It won’t be a tragedy if we lose, but it would be a great disappointment. But we don’t expect to lose”.