In the wake of France’s 2-0 win over Sweden on Tuesday, which put the team through to the knockout stages at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, French manager Didier Deschamps was asked whether he had considered bringing on Kylian Mbappe, who played no part in the match. His response was that he didn’t want to score goals, I wanted to win. That comment has caused something of an uproar around the world, including among some of France’s own players, with midfielder Paul Pogba even deleting his Instagram account over it.
1) Introduction
The 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia has been the subject of much political debate and tension due to the country's volatile relationships with many other nations. However, according to former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, teams who chose to focus on football rather than politics had an easier passage through to the last 16 of the tournament.
Wenger, who is currently working as a pundit for beIN Sports, said that the teams who stayed focused on the football have done better. He highlighted the performances of Senegal, Mexico and Russia, who have all reached the last 16 without any involvement in the politics surrounding the tournament.
Wenger also claimed that those countries who focused their attention on politics rather than football have not had as successful a tournament. He pointed to the performances of Iran and Saudi Arabia, both of whom struggled to progress out of their respective groups and were eliminated at the group stage. Iranian players are more worried about how they will get back home. They are suffering, he explained.Saudi Arabia are not here because they play against Qatar (in qualifying) so we can say ‘What is the problem? They don't want to play against them?’ It would be more logical if they could go home after one game but they wanted to stay in order to show how tough they are.
FIFA may need to reevaluate how it allocates spots at future tournaments, Wenger concluded: They will have discussions about this because I think it's very important that if you give these places then there must be some conditions that come with them. 2018 FIFA World Cup
2) The teams who made it to the last 16
The FIFA World Cup is one of the world's most exciting sporting events, drawing millions of fans from around the globe. The 2018 tournament in Russia has been no exception, with teams from all over the world competing for the coveted trophy.
However, while some teams have sailed through to the last 16 with relative ease, others have had a much more difficult passage. According to Arsene Wenger, manager of the France national team, the reason behind this discrepancy is simple - teams who focused on football and not politics had an easier time progressing through the tournament.
Wenger has seen firsthand how sides can be influenced by political issues and has warned that it can be detrimental to performance on the pitch. He believes that for teams to make it through to the last 16, they must put aside any outside distractions and focus solely on their footballing ability.
This has certainly been evident in the teams that have progressed to the last 16 of the tournament. Countries such as France, Brazil and Argentina have all excelled due to their complete focus on football, leaving other teams behind.
Wenger believes that this focus is vital if teams want to succeed in the World Cup and is something he has tried to instill in his own team. He believes that, although there are always political issues affecting countries, these should be set aside when competing in major tournaments such as the World Cup.
It is clear that teams who have adopted Wenger's philosophy have made it further in the tournament than those who haven't. This proves that having a focus solely on football is essential if you want to progress in international tournaments. As the World Cup continues, we will see whether this trend continues or if other sides can overcome the difficulties posed by political issues and reach the latter stages of the competition.
3) The teams who didn't make it to the last 16
As the FIFA World Cup in Russia comes to a close, many teams have been left out of the last 16. While some teams have fallen short due to on-field performance, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes that there are other factors at play.
According to Wenger, teams who focused on football and avoided political issues during their time in Russia had a much easier time progressing to the knockout stages. Those teams who put politics before football have been more likely to go home early, he said in a press conference after Arsenal's 3-0 victory over West Ham United.
Wenger's words ring true for several countries who have failed to make it to the last 16. Iran, for example, had a strong start to their campaign, winning two of their three matches. However, the team was unable to progress any further after the Iranian government pulled out of a sponsorship deal with Nike just days before their match against Portugal. The resulting media attention and debate about the decision appears to have distracted the team and their performance suffered as a result.
In contrast, Germany – who have reached the last 16 – have had a much smoother passage. Despite the presence of Mesut Ozil and Ilkay Gundogan - both of whom posed for a photo with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan - the team has focused on playing football and avoided getting involved in politics. This is likely why they have been able to progress this far in the tournament.
Ultimately, it appears that teams who kept their focus on football were rewarded with better results than those who got caught up in political issues. With so much on the line, it will be interesting to see which countries can make it through to the next round.
4) Conclusion
In conclusion, Arsene Wenger's words serve as a reminder that while politics and other off-field matters are important, they should never be allowed to overshadow the actual game of football. Teams who managed to focus on their World Cup performance rather than getting caught up in the noise of politics had an easier time passing through the group stages and advancing to the knockout rounds. As a result, Wenger's words are a call to all teams competing in the tournament to put aside their differences and focus on the game at hand. With only sixteen teams remaining, it's crucial that each team plays to the best of their abilities and puts their full focus into the competition if they want to have a chance at winning the World Cup. The last few games will decide which countries will compete for the coveted trophy.