This week, we sat down with French football legend Marcel Desailly to discuss the biggest stories from the beautiful game.
In this exclusive interview with sportscasting.com, the World Cup winning defender spoke about Didier Deschamps France team, his 1998 teammate and best friend, and believes that they look destined to emulate his success of his vintage and become world champions.
In a passionate and candid interview, Marcel named Arsenal’s William Saliba as the best central defender in the world and explained why he would prefer Chelsea – his former club – to sign a more experienced CB than the recently linked Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix.
Ghanaina-born Desailly also shared his delight at the performances of African nations at the tournament and claimed he would like to see one of England or Colombia win it if France are eliminated.
Read the full interview below.
Marcel Desailly on the World Cup
Do you give advice to any of the current French team?
No, I don’t give advice to any of the French players. The only player I advised was Dembélé back in the day when he was at Barcelona. But afterwards, he made his own moves and that’s it.
It’s not my generation anymore – I have no contact at all. I’ve never met Digne, I’ve never met Barcola. Mbappé, obviously, I’ve met Kylian. None of the midfielders – Kanté, I’ve never met him. So no, it’s a new generation, and I don’t offer them any advice.
Upamecano, I have met. Konaté, we had some words because I’m very proud of the way that they are defending. Saliba is superb. Athletically and physically they are highly capable, and the understanding they have is really, really high.
In fact, all those three French CBs are top. It doesn’t matter who Didier plays from that trio. I will not include Lacroix; but Konaté, Upamecano, and Saliba are really, really key players for France. They’re essential for the defensive shape of this team. Those three are very good.
The only weakness comes at left back. Koundé is not really a problem, because if he’s not capable of producing in the attacking third, at least he knows how to defend and he’s smart enough.
Lucas Hernandez goes both ways—his defensive skills are not up to what we are expecting, and his delivery is also not quite up to what we really want. That’s why Deschamps will go for Digne, who is not a better player than Hernandez overall, but at least he is capable of being very strong on the defensive side.
Ousmane Dembélé said he can get even better after his hat-trick in the group stage, how do you see his progress and future?
Yes, I think Ousmane Dembélé can get even better. He hasn’t been perfect at this tournament, you saw that in the match against Senegal, where I thought he played with some difficulty, but it wasn’t just Ousmane Dembélé who struggled. Once we readjusted for the second half, we were much better and so was Dembélé.
Against Norway, even though the coach Ståle Solbakken decided to rest six or seven players, France were magnificent. You can only beat the opponent you play, but France showed great potential, great desire, and great chemistry – everything flowed in that game.
I would like to see Dembélé lift his level a little bit, I would like to see him taking on his opponent much more. His understanding with his teammates is absolutely incredible. He can do more.
He can definitely do more now that he has the sweetness in his mouth of playing for France as a winger rather than as a false nine like he does for PSG.
Because of his form and his status, it wouldn’t have been easy for him to accept the idea that he should play as a winger again and, in many ways, letting his captain Kylian Mbappé take all the rewards.
He’s in place in his new role, he can for sure do more. Barcelona took him because he was an amazing winger. They paid 150 million Euros for him. He’s an amazing winger. Both feet. As a defender, you don’t know how to mark him; it’s almost impossible.
Dembélé can become even more clinical if he has the desire and the mental focus to do so.
Louis Saha said this France squad is not only the best French squad ever but the best squad to go to a World Cup finals from any country, do you think he’s right?
I think that you never compare generations. I’m not annoyed by those comments; Louis is entitled to his opinion, but in my mind, you never compare generations of footballers.
You can never say the Platini team was just exceptional with Tigana, Giresse, Fernandez, Marius Trésor. I’ll say it again: you don’t compare generations. You can never compare Maradona with Messi or Pelé with Cristiano.
Players can only be compared against each other if they played in the same period or played against each other.
I have to say that the potential of this team is really scary. When you look at the offensive options and the talent we have, you say, “Wow, okay.”
There is really something in this team. There is something very special, but you cannot compare, and you shouldn’t compare.
Thoughts on Chelsea’s search for a new centre-back, Maxence Lacroix to Chelsea reports/rumours – would you like to see the Blues move for him?
Yes, I think that Maxence Lacroix would be a decent signing for Chelsea. I don’t want to criticise the player, I would just say that yes, it’s a good move for the club.
Alonso likes to play with three at the back. He wants to implement his ideas and his philosophy with a back three.
I think it’s a good move for him and a good move for Chelsea. Lacroix is an international player, playing in a magnificent team that Didier Deschamps has assembled. I cannot criticise an international player who has represented France at the World Cup.
Is he what Chelsea really needs? I actually think they need a CB with more experience, a player that is already established and can come in and lead the defence. We need a real experienced leader at the heart of the defence.
Don’t ask me for a name; it is Alonso and the club’s job to find the correct player that matches his philosophy.
It’s a good move for Lacroix, but I really want to see them target a player who has played at an elite level for a similar size club as Chelsea with similar pressures, not a player from a smaller club than Chelsea.
Wesley Fofana is still there. We have other good players. We need a brilliant spine, that means bringing in one experienced defender, plus Fernández if he stays, plus a striker.
We really need a deadly number nine. Chelsea need a spine that cabn compete with the Premier League’s best clubs. So yeah, Lacroix is a good player, but he doesn’t have the experience I’m looking for or what I think Chelsea needs.
Have Lionel Messi’s performances at the World Cup answered the GOAT debate once and for all?
If you look at the Portuguese squad, honestly you have to say that it is a better group of players than Argentina. It’s not about Cristiano or Messi. Portugal has better players.
We haven’t seen the performances from them yet; we haven’t seen the collective unity of their players. Players like Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha and Neves, they want to play.
They beat Uzbekistan and have drawn twice. You can see their desire – they’re trying to win. They want to perform, but they are playing to put them on a plate for Ronaldo.
They’re playing for him to score. And you know Cristiano – if you give him the chance, he will be clinical. So the quality is higher for me in this Portuguese team.
But Argentina, they give you goosebumps, they have shown a great collective ability.
They are all ready to die on the pitch, from Lautaro Martínez, who has accepted and put his ego to one side and accepted that he has to run so that Messi can do his thing, and win again for his country.
The Argentina philosophy is exactly like the Barcelona philosophy: everybody is playing for Messi. The passing, the interceptions, the idea, the concept… because they know that with Messi, and by letting Messi do what he does best, they have already tasted what it’s like to win the biggest prizes in football.
They won a World Cup by playing to the strengths of Messi. Why change it when you have such a spectacular player? They have less quality (than Portugal), but they are dedicated like dogs.
They are ready to die. So don’t compare Cristiano to Messi again. I don’t like this comparison. It’s just that Argentina is far more advanced collectively to support their main player.
Should Ronaldo stop kidding himself and put himself on the bench, because he’s been a peripheral figure at this tournament. How would you manage the situation?
Portugal’s problem is not Cristiano. He’s the striker. It happens that the team… they should get the ball inside; they should get the ball into Bruno Fernandes.
Give the ball to Bruno and let him play, then you will see that Cristiano is not the problem in this Portugal team.
Portugal have Ramos on the bench, but I’m not sure he could play for 90 minutes and perform at the same level as Cristiano. Cristiano attracts the defence because of who he is and his reputation, Portugal must also find opportunities around him.
You can never say that Cristiano is a problem, even at 41 years old. I believe that Portugal’s biggest problem is a collective unity that is not yet in the system. They’ve shown great moments, great momentum, but they haven’t done it nearly enough over a full 90 minutes.
Once they get it… they could be very, very dangerous. They just have to qualify. Once they find the chemistry, Portugal, along with France, would be my favourites to win this World Cup, even though France and Argentina are showing better skills.
There are still four matches to go after this one to be able to be the world champion: round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final, and final. So four matches. Don’t write off Portugal and start writing the obituaries for Cristiano just yet.
Is Ancelotti the right manager for Brazil?
It was a necessary push to appoint Ancelotti. Collectively, the Brazilians were really doubtful of their ability to go to the next level and become a team that can win the biggest prizes in international football.
The match against Japan is a perfect example. They huffed and puffed, but then they got the job done. They had the resources, the mentality and the quality to get over the line. I think they will be even more dangerous now after the manner of that win. They believe again. They know they can win KO games without Neymar, who is still a really influential player in the camp.
Before, they doubted themselves.. Ancelotti readjusted his system to a 4-3-3. He changed the team a little bit tactically to be able to match the demands of the match. He was quietly smart, as Ancelotti always is.
Brazil must grow into the system. As of now, we don’t see them as world champions, but they are growing. They have the belief, they have their fans, and their country is really a place where the players have a true understanding of how important football is in the life of the people.
France have set the pace for the tournament, can anyone stop them?
The impression that we have now, it’s a big yes – Who is going to stop France? The impression that England have given the fans watching is underwhelming.
Germany, they’ve been poor and have been eliminated. A massive under-performance. Brazil is growing. But today it is France who is showing great ability. France have been the ‘wow’ team at the tournament so far – they’ve looked much better than the rest.
Now, they will play Paraguay, and there is no fear at all. It will end up 3-0 or 4-0. The stats will completely explode and confidence will be at its peak. If there are no injuries, France is going to win the World Cup. I have no doubt about it.
Is Kylian Mbappé destined to win the Balon d’Or if France lift the World Cup?
You know, it really depends. If you ask me today, in our minds, we always think about the last one who has performed. And the last one who did perform is Dembélé.
Your mind straight away talks about the French national team and goes, “Oh, Dembélé will get it.” So it depends on the way all of them perform and the stats that will come out of it.
Mbappé has managed to become the best striker ever in the French national team, he broke that record at this World Cup, which is an astonishing achievement after a poor club season.
Can you imagine having a poor season where you don’t lift a trophy, but you still manage to score 40 odd goals? That is really something.
I think it’s amazing that people still want to criticise him, but he’s showing great leadership. Let’s see if he will win the Balon d’Or.
It’s not just about the stats; the goals, it’s about the type of goals and the overall performance of the French team that will determine who is going to win the Ballon d’Or.
But both Mbappe and Dembélé have the advantage, and then you have Cristiano and Messi looking on at them.
As for Olise, I’m not sure the focus should be there yet. I’m not sure he is at the same level as Mbappé and Dembélé. He still has to grow in the system.
He has great potential and ability, but he’s not yet fully pretending to be a Ballon d’Or contender when you know the names that are a little bit more advanced than him.
Would Jude Bellingham get into the France first 11 / would you take him if you could?
Do you know what? I have a problem with the English team, despite the setup they’ve won with, which is good for building up, learning, and developing skills. But Morgan Rogers was not in his correct position; he’s not been able to show his ability.
When it comes to Bellingham, I believe that in a 4-2-3-1, when he’s in the middle of the three, I’m not sure it’s his best position. He’s not a number 10.
He is an amazing player, but he’s not a number 10. Against Panama, he was placed into the midfield two as the second midfielder because Rice was injured, but I believe Tuchel put him in there because of his ability to get up and down the pitch and his dynamism.
Under a different tactical setup – if France played a 4-3-3 – Bellingham would absolutely have his say in coming into the system as one of the three midfielders.
But the way England is set up now, I’m not sure where you place him. For me, he would be perfect playing in a midfield three with one sitting player in the middle and another dynamic midfielder outside him.
Is England’s defence its biggest weakness? Are you surprised by the lack of serious quality at CB for England?
I am a little bit surprised on the right side of the defence, and the limited options England have. Reece James… we know he’s going to get injured. You have the statistics, you know it.
Okay, he can play in midfield to help a little bit, so that’s an option, which is great. If you put him at right back, on his day, there isn’t a better one because he’s so intelligent, but his physicality has always been a major worry.
Meanwhile, Tuchel decides to leave Trent Alexander-Arnold out, a guy that has unbelievable ability with the ball. His free-kicks and deliveries are key.
Instead of asking Bellingham to run all over the park, England had a technical weapon in Alexander-Arnold, and he’s not even in the squad.
Okay, Foden, okay, Palmer – we understand why both of those players aren’t there, and you also have options to replace them. But on the right side…James cannot project himself like he did before.
He has not yet recovered 100% from his injury, but he’s a guarantee for the team in terms of identifying the momentum to go forward. So it is what it is.
England had to put Spence, a player who is normally on the left, but also has the ability to play on the right, at right back. So for me, the decision not to take Alexander-Arnold looks really strange when you see the limited options available to Tuchel in the absence of James.
I think it is a decision from Tuchel to remove Alexander-Arnold because he’s a leader, and Tuchel wants to create a different dynamic in the group. We understand.
But for James, you knew out of the six matches you were supposed to play, when you look at the stats, you knew that he was going to be unavailable for a couple of matches because of his physical problems.
Who do you think is currently the best CB in the world and what makes them so good?
Who do I think is the best CB in the world? it’s not Van Dijk. He has his level, we know, there’s no doubt he’s a great defender, but on some occasions, he has shown a little bit of weakness.
It’s also probably due to his past injury; in 1v1 situations, he is no longer exceptional like he was before, though he’s still a great player.
I would put Saliba there, even though he has some problems with his back, I think he’s in the conversation for the world’s best CB. Saliba is definitely one of the best ones. Gabriel is only there because of Saliba – so Gabriel, no, he’s not in the conversation (for the world’s best CB).
Konaté had a difficult season. Who else can we say? At Manchester United, there’s nothing. Chelsea, not at that level. Inter Milan, AC Milan, absolutely not. So I would say Saliba is part of the defensive elite who have that consistency and are capable of winning their 1v1s no matter who comes across them.
Who do you want to win out of Congo and England?
Congo. I mean, I am of African origin, so yes, I want Congo to win. But I’m confused. I’m confused because I am for diversity; I want different things. Okay, I want France to win, that’s obvious, don’t get me wrong.
But I absolutely don’t want Argentina to win, because I want diversity and I want football to be promoted globally. It’s so nice to see Colombia winning and making the Colombian people happy.
England hasn’t won anything since ’66, and they are a little bit more legitimate than Colombia when you look at their historical performance and the players currently in their system.
So I’m confused. Both of them are in my heart to go on and win it if France cannot make it.
South Africa were eliminated against Canada, but they made the KO stage for the first time in their history. How much have they achieved with their play in this World Cup?
After their first match against Mexico, I said, “Oh, South Africa will go out straight away,” because they were really a level below what we expect to see from a team that can reach the knockout stages. But they did it. They did it collectively – they did it by working as a team.
For me, this is one of the benefits of allowing a third place team into the KO rounds. This new approach allows the best third-placed teams through and they get the opportunity to show their skills and ability. Yes, they lost against Canada, but they can be proud.
Football is a global game. By allowing more teams through, you’re giving nations an opportunity to develop who may not necessarily have had that opportunity before. It opens up the game, which is brilliant. Nine out of ten African countries went through to the KO.
The idea of allowing a World Cup with 48 teams is to give more experience, and to make it more accessible (to lesser nations). I love the fact that those nations can feel the vibe of the World Cup and have that motivation for the players to feel that World Cup energy.
It’s an amazing experience for players; it improves players and it gives them the understanding of how important it is to have discipline and strength during a tournament.
So, yes, I’m delighted for South Africa, but also, all the African teams, of which there are only three that potentially keep going.
I was happy for South Africa, but I knew that they could not go past the last 16, let’s be realistic. They are part of a group of teams that did very well.
Is there another name that can eventually reach the final and make the African continent proud? None of the African teams have reached the final before, only Morocco did really well, in 2022. So great, just great. The statistics are absolutely amazing. We should see more African teams doing well on the biggest stage, and that can only be good for football and the continent.
Marcel Desailly on Transfer Rumours
How do you think Aurelien Tchouameni would settle in the Premier League? He’s been linked with a move to Man United, how would he help them?
I’m sure Aurelien Tchouaméni would move to the Premier League, and Manchester United is still a massive club; a massive name.
He had a difficult season, but at least he shows leadership. That’s why when you talk about Konaté or Tchouaméni, I’ll always choose Tchouaméni because of his desire. And he also wears my number 8 on his back, so I love him for this!
I believe that he has that little bit of leadership and the desire to bring the team all together. So it could be a good move for him, just like when Raphaël Varane swapped Madrid for Manchester back in the day.
So why not? I would encourage him to go for it and try the Premier League. .
Does Bradley Barcola need to leave PSG this summer, amid reports they are set to sign Yan Diomande, and which Premier League club would he suit? He’s been linked with Arsenal and Liverpool?
No, no. Barcola doesn’t need to leave PSG. He’s too young. He’s only 23-years-old. Didier Deschamps is teaching him a lesson and he’s giving him a chance.
I never expected Didier to swap him with Desire Doue. He has really given him a chance – and he’s been rewarded for it.
I thought that for Barcola to start and play 90 minutes at the international level, he wouldn’t do it because Barcola is too light on defensive discipline.
Remember, we play with four offensive players, and bringing Barcola into the system could have been another weakness because he doesn’t make the effort to defend.
When you look at his previous matches with PSG, or even some of the matches he did for the national team during the Euros, he had that weakness.
He’s young; the attention and defensive alertness isn’t there to match the speed he projects when he’s going forward. He wasn’t making the effort to get back into position.
So he’s growing, he’s learning, and he’s getting that winning mentality on both sides of the game – being available for the team structurally without the ball while also being the one who makes the difference, just as the older players are doing.
So, should he move to the Premier League? Not yet. Not yet at all. Sorry Arsenal and Liverpool fans. He should stay at Paris Saint-Germain, play 25 games a season, and grow within that system.
Do you expect William Saliba to play for Real Madrid one day?
Yes, yes. I do expect William Saliba to one day wear the colours of Real Madrid. He’s committed to Arsenal for the next, I don’t know, four years.
But he’s young, so why not? The door is open, and all the best players want to play for Real Madrid at some point in their careers.
The door is open. But not now. Not now. He is the best central defender, so it is what it is today.
Enzo Maresca has apologised for his conduct in leaving Chelsea – he has now been appointed the manager of Manchester City. Did his unprofessional behaviour torpedo Chelsea’s season?
Did Enzo Maresca’s exit torpedo Chelsea’s season? Well, he was the winning coach of Chelsea. As I said, Chelsea made a small mistake, but I think we should applaud what Enzo Maresca achieved while he was managing the club, not criticise him now.
When Chelsea started to buy all these players – Moisés Caicedo and all the others at such high prices – we thought they were mad, but they were not.
They were not, because they had a plan. They had a plan for a three-year project, or eventually a four-year project. And you see, they had a great season with Maresca when they won the Conference League and they won the Club World Cup.
They made a mistake with Maresca: they did not bring experienced players on board his team. You need to have those experienced players, which is a need that still exists for Xabi Alonso.
Chelsea need a leader in defence, a striker. You don’t play Enzo Fernández as the playmaker of the team in a 4-2-3-1, It’s not his position.
Chelsea must understand that what you win offensively with him, you lose defensively on the leadership of the team without the ball.
For Argentina, he is a defensive midfielder. He’s not a playmaker for the team. Absolutely not. He’s running, he’s chasing the ball. And at Chelsea, they gave him the role of the offensive leader.
So this is where they made a mistake, and Maresca did not have his say on it. That is not how a manager should manage.
That is probably one of the reasons for the drop they had last season. It is what it is. It’s obvious now in hindsight, but at that time, the confidence and happiness was so nice because they did very well on their three-year project of buying the players.
It worked, and you can’t say it didn’t because they won trophies, but it was a small mistake not to have more experience in the squad and also to build the team around Fernandez.
Do you expect Enzo Fernandez to leave the club and join Real Madrid this summer?
I don’t think Enzo Fernandez is the right fit for Real Madrid. He’s a great player, but after the experience he has had at Chelsea, I don’t see how he is capable of adapting – I can’t see him doing the work of a number 4 or a number 6 in club football, and that is what he should be doing, because in my opinion, that is his best role.
Under Mourinho at Real Madrid, he would have to adapt and be prepared to do that defensive workload that he typically does with Argentina, which he was not used to at club level because at Chelsea they spoiled him.
He is a player who has the quality to go to Madrid, but can he adapt and put in a defensive workload to be effective?
Madrid has that Turkish player, Arda Güler, and Bellingham is also demanding to be one of the offensive players, along with Rodrygo, Mbappé, and Vinícius – you understand?
There is simply no room for Fernandez to go to Real Madrid and expect to play as an offensive player.
So Fernández has to accept dropping deeper. Yes, he has very good potential, but only if he adapts psychologically to the defensive load and uses his talent there, not as an attacking asset.
Do you think Granit Xhaka would be a good signing for Chelsea and should they go all-out to sign him?
Look, I always say for Chelsea now that any player who is going to be signed by the club has to be the first choice of Alonso. Definitely. It’s non-negotiable.
For Alonso to be able to build his philosophy, he needs to have the players he wants around him.
Look at what PSG has achieved when they gave Luis Enrique the freedom to bring in his own players.
Instead of having his third or fourth transfer options on the shortlist he gives to Luis Campos, the Sports Director, he always gets the first choice player that matches exactly with the philosophy.
Those decisions have paid dividends. The results for PSG over the last two years have been absolutely magnificent.
When you talk about wingers at Chelsea, there are… I will not name them, you can guess who I’m talking about, some players that have been signed who haven’t been part of the managers philosophy.
Successful football clubs let their managers sign the players – all they have to do is look across town and see the success that Arsenal have had.
If Alonso really wants Granit Xhaka because he thinks he has something special, why not give him the player?
